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THE   JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 


THE  TRAIL  MAKERS 

A  SERIES  OF  HISTORIC  EXPLORA  TIONS 
PROP.  JOHN  BACH  McMASTER,  CONSULTING  EDITOR 
With  Introductions,  Illustrations,  and  Maps. 

The  First  Explorer  of  the  West 

The  Journey  of  Coronado,  1540.42,  From  the 
City  of  Mexico  to  the  Buffalo  Plains  of  Kan 
sas  and  Nebraska. 

Translated  and  Edited,  with  an  Introduction  by  George 
Parker  Winship.  In  Press. 

First  Across  the  Continent 

Voyages  From  Montreal  Through  the  Continent 
of  North  America,  to  the  Frozen  and  Pacific 
Oceans  in  1789  and  1793. 

By  Alexander  Mackenzie,    In  two  volumes. 

The  Greatest  American  Exploration 

History  of  tKe  Expedition  Under  the  Command 
of  Captains  Lewis  and  Clark  to  the  Sources 
of  the  Missouri,  Across  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
Down  tKe  Columbia  River  to  the  Pacific  in 
1804-06. 

With  an  account  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase^  by  Prof. 
John  Bach  McMaster,  and  an  introduction  identifying 
the  route.  In  three  volumes. 

A  Contemporary  Life  of  the  Famous  Iroquois 

The  History  of  the  Five  Indian  Nations  of  Cana- 
da  Which  Are  Dependent  Upon  the  Province 
of  New  York. 

By  Cadwallader  Colden,  Surveyor-General  of  the  Colony 
of  New  York.  In  two  volumes. 

An  Early  Fur  Trader's  Life  Among  the  Indians 

A  Journal  of  Voyages  and  Travels  in  the  Interior 
of  North  America. 

Bv  Daniel  Williams  Harmon,  a  partner  in  the  North 
west  Company,  (beginning  in  1800). 

Across  the  Continent  in  Sub- Arctic  America 

TKe  Wild   NortKland.     The    Story   of   a.  Winter 
Journey  With  Dogs   Across   Northern    North 
America,  1872-73. 
By  Gen.  Sir  Wm.  Francis  Butler,  K.  C.  B. 

Each  I2mo.  For  sale  by  booksellers,  or  will  be 
sent  on  receipt  of  price,  $1.00,  plus  8  cents  postage, 
by  the  publishers, 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO. 
J56  Fifth  Avenue  New  Yo*t 


THE    JOURNEY 
OF    CORONADO 


540-1542 


THE  CITY  OF  MEXICO  TO  THE  GRAND  CANON 

OF  THE  COLORADO  AND  THE  BUFFALO 

PLAINS  OF    TEXAS,   KANSAS, 

AND   NEBRASKA 


AS  TOLD  BY  HIMSELF  AND 
HIS  FOLLOWERS 

TRANSLATED  AND  EDITED,   WITH   AN 
INTRODUCTION   BY 

GEORGE  PARKER  WINSHIP 

With    Map 


NEW   YORK 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  COMPANY 

1904 


Copyright  1904 
By  A.  S.  BARNES  &  Co. 

New  York 


INTRODUCTION 


THE  narratives  printed  in  the  present  vol 
ume  tell  the  story  of  one  of  the  most  remark 
able  explorations  recorded  in  the  annals  of 
American  history.  Seventy-five  years  be 
fore  the  English  succeeded  in  establishing 
themselves  on  the  northeastern  coast  of 
North  America,  a  band  of  Spaniards,  start 
ing  from  what  was  already  a  populous  and 
flourishing  colony  at  the  City  of  Mexico, 
penetrated  the  opposite  extreme  of  the  con 
tinent,  and  explored  thoroughly  a  region  as 
extensive  as  the  coast  line  of  the  United 
States  from  Maine  to  Georgia. 

The  accounts  of  their  experiences  printed 
herewith  were  all  written  by  members  of  the 
expedition.  With  two  exceptions  they  were 
written  during  the  journey,  and  were  the 
official  reports  prepared  by  the  general  and 
sent  to  the  viceroy  in  Mexico  or  the  emperor- 
king  in  Spain,  or  by  the  lieutenants  in  charge 
of  special  explorations.  The  first  and  prin 
cipal  narrative  was  written  for  the  purpose 
of  providing  a  history  of  the  expedition,  by 
one  of  the  common  soldiers  some  time  after 
his  return  to  Mexico,  when  he  apparently 
felt  that  there  was  danger  that  posterity 
would  forget  the  deeds  of  those  with  whom 

V 

925 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

he  had  toiled  and  suffered  in  the  vain  search 
for  something  which  would  reward  their 
costly  undertaking.  All  that  is  known  of 
the  author,  Pedro  Castaneda,  beyond  what 
he  relates  in  this  narrative,  is  that  he  was  a 
native  of  the  Biscayan  town  of  Najera  in 
northern  Spain,  who  had  established  himself 
in  the  Spanish  outpost  at  Culiacan,  in  north 
western  Mexico,  at  the  time  Coronado  organ 
ized  his  expedition,  and  that  he  was  the 
father  of  eight  surviving  children,  who,  with 
their  mother,  presented  in  1554  -a  claim 
against  the  Mexican  treasury,  on  account  of 
the  father's  exploits.  The  Spanish  text  of 
Castaneda' s  history  is  preserved  in  the  Lenox 
Library,  now  absorbed  into  the  New  York 
Public  Library.  It  is  printed,  together  with 
the  translations  reprinted  herewith,  in  the 
Fourteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  Washington, 
D.  C.,  1896,  a  volume  which  has  long  been 
out  of  print.  In  the  present  book  many 
passages  in  these  translations  have  been  re 
vised  and  corrected.  The  editor  is  under 
obligations  to  Mr.  F.  W.  Hodge  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  Mr.  W.  M.  Tipton 
of  Santa  F£,  Mr.  Charles  F.  Lummis  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  Mr.  Eipley  Hitchcock  and  Mr. 
F.  S.  Dellenbaugh  of  New  York,  for  sugges 
tions  and  assistance  in  regard  to  these  im 
provements  in  the  text. 

In  February,  1540,  the  army  whose  for 
tunes  are  recounted  in  these  narratives  as 
sembled  at  Compostela,  on  the  Pacific  coast 
west  of  Mexico  city.     When  it  passed  in 
vi 


INTRODUCTION 

review  before  the  viceroy  Mendoza,  who  had 
provided  the  funds  and  equipment,  the  gen 
eral  in  command,  Francisco  Vazquez  Corona- 
do,  rode  at  the  head  of  some  two  hundred 
and  fifty  horsemen  and  seventy  Spanish  foot 
soldiers  armed  with  crossbows  and  harque 
buses.  Besides  these  there  were  three  hun 
dred  or  more  native  allies,  and  upward  of  a 
thousand  negro  and  Indian  servants  and  fol 
lowers,  to  lead  the  spare  horses,  drive  the 
pack  mules,  carry  the  extra  luggage,  and 
herd  the  droves  of  oxen  and  cows,  sheep  and 
swine. 

The  expedition  started  on  February  23d, 
and  a  month  later,  on  Easter  day,  it  entered 
Culiacan,  then  the  northwestern  out-post 
of  European  civilization,  half  way  up  the 
mainland  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  California. 
Here  Coronado  reorganized  his  force  and, 
toward  the  end  of  April,  he  started  north 
ward  into  the  unknown  country  with  a 
picked  force  of  two  hundred  men  equipped 
for  rapid  marching,  leaving  the  rest  to  follow 
at  the  slower  pace  of  the  pack  trains  and  the 
four-footed  food  supplies.  Following  the 
river  courses  up  stream,  the  advance  party 
was  soon  deep  in  the  mountains.  For  two 
long  months  they  persistently  pushed  ahead, 
the  inhospitable  country  steadily  growing 
worse.  Eventually  other  streams  showed 
them  the  way  out  on  to  a  level  district 
crossed  by  well-worn  trails  which  led  them 
toward  the  "  Seven  Cities  of  Cibola. "  These 
were  the  goal  of  whose  fame  they  had  heard 
from  the  Franciscan  friar,  Marcos  of  Nice, 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

who  had  viewed  them  from  a  distant  hill 
top  two  years  previously,  and  who  now  ac 
companied  the  expedition  as  guide  and  chap- 
kin. 

It  was  perhaps  on  July  4th,  1540,  that 
Coronado  drew  up  his  force  in  front  of  the 
first  of  the  "Seven  Cities,"  and  after  a  sharp 
fight  forced  his  way  into  the  stronghold,  th~ 
stone  and  adobe-built  pueblo  of  Hawikuh, 
whose  ruins  can  still  be  traced  on  a  low  hil 
lock  a  few  miles  southwest  of  the  village 
now  occupied  by  the  New  Mexican  Zuni 
Indians.  Here  the  Europeans  camped  for 
several  weeks,  seeking  rest,  refreshment,  and 
news  of  the  land.  A  small  party  was  sent 
off  toward  the  northwest,  where  another 
group  of  seven  villages  was  found  in  the 
region  still  occupied  by  the  descendants  of 
the  people  whom  the  Spaniards  visited,  the 
Moqui  tribes  of  Tusayan.  As  a  result  of 
the  information  secured  here,  another  party 
journeyed  westward  until  its  progress  was 
stopped  by  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Colorado, 
then  seen  for  the  first  time  by  Europeans. 
Explorations  were  also  made  toward  the  east, 
where  the  river  villages  along  the  Eio  Grande 
were  found  to  be  larger  and  better  stocked 
with  food  supplies  than  the  settlements  at 
Cibola-Zuni.  Coronado  therefore  moved  his 
headquarters  to  the  largest  of  these  river 
towns,  Tiguex,  near  the  modern  Bernalillo,  a 
short  distance  north  of  Albuquerque.  Here, 
as  the  winter  of  1540-41  was  setting  in,  he 
was  rejoined  by  the  main  body  of  the  army, 
which  had  laboriously  followed  the  trail  of 
viii 


INTRODUCTION 

its  general  through  the  mountains  and  across 
the  desert. 

In  one  of  the  river  villages  Coronado 
found  an  Indian  slave  who  said  he  was  a 
native  of  Quivira,  which  he  described  as  a 
rich  and  populous  place  far  away  in  the  east. 
Acting  upon  this  information,  with  the  In 
dian  as  a  guide,  Coronado  started  on  April 
23d,  1541,  with  his  whole  army  to  march  to 
Quivira.  From  Cicuye  or  Pecos,  whose 
ruins  can  still  be  seen  by  the  traveller  from 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  F4  trains, 
the  guide  seems  to  have  led  the  white  men 
down  the  Pecos  River  until  they  were  out  of 
the  mountains,  and  on  to  the  vast  plains 
where  they  soon  met  the  countless  herds 
of  bison  or  "humpbacked  oxen."  For 
five  weeks  the  Europeans  plodded  onward 
across  what  is  now  known  as  the  "Staked 
Plains,"  following  a  generally  easterly  direc 
tion. 

They  had  probably  crossed  the  upper 
branches  of  the  Colorado  River  of  Texas  and 
reached  the  head  waters  of  the  Nueces,  when 
Coronado  became  convinced  that  his  guide 
was  endeavoring  to  lose  him  in  this  limitless 
expanse  of  rolling  prairie.  The  food  supplies 
were  beginning  to  run  low,  and  so  the  army 
was  ordered  to  return  to  the  villages  on  the 
Eio  Grande.  Some  of  the  natives  of  the 
plains,  met  with  on  the  march,  had  answered 
the  questions  about  Quivira  by  pointing  to 
ward  the  north.  That  no  chance  might  be 
left  untried,  the  general  selected  thirty  of 
the  freshest  and  best-mounted  of  his  men  to 
ix 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

accompany  him  in  a  search  in  that  direction. 
For  forty-two  days  they  followed  the  compass 
needle,  whose  variation  probably  took  them 
about  three  degrees  west  of  a  true  northward 
course.  At  last  their  guides  told  them  that 
they  had  reached  Quivira,  when  they  were 
not  far  from  Great  Bend  on  the  Arkansas 
Eiver,  whose  course  they  had  followed  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Dodge  City.  It  was  a 
village  of  Wichita  Indian  tepees. 

Coronado  spent  a  month  in  exploring  the 
surrounding  country,  moving  his  camp  to  a 
larger  village  further  north,  and  sending  out 
messengers  and  reconnoitering  parties  in  all 
directions.  Having  assured  himself  that 
there  was  nothing  to  reward  his  search,  he 
returned  to  the  main  body  of  his  army,  the 
Quiviran  guides  leading  him  by  a  much 
shorter  route,  along  the  line  of  the  famous 
Santa  F6*  trail,  to  the  Eio  Grande.  Every 
clew  which  promised  anything  of  value  to 
the  Spaniards  had  been  followed  to  its  ut 
most,  without  revealing  anything  which 
they  desired.  In  the  spring  of  1542  Coro 
nado  started  back  with  his  men  to  Cibola- 
Zufii,  through  the  rough  mountain  passages 
to  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  so  on  down  to 
the  city  of  Mexico,  where  he  arrived  in  the 
early  autumn,  "very  sad  and  very  weary, 
completely  worn  out  and  shame-faced."  He 
had  failed  to  find  any  of  the  things  for  which 
he  went  in  search.  But  he  had  added  to  the 
world  as  known  to  Europeans  an  extent  of 
country  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Colorado 
River  from  its  mouth  to  the  Grand  Canon, 


INTRODUCTION 

on  the  east  by  the  boundless  prairies,  and 
stretching  northward  to  the  upper  waters  of 
the  Eio  Grande  and  the  southern  boundary 
of  Nebraska. 

GEORGE  PARKER  WINSHIP. 


SPANISH  EXPLORATIONS. 


(For  the  use  of  this  outline  map  and  also  the  frontispiece 
the  publishers  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Messrs.  Ginn 
&  Co.,  publishers  of  "The  Louisiana  Purchase  and  the 
Early  History,  Exploration  and  Building  of  the  West,"  by 
Ripley  Hitchcock.) 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION, v 

ITINERARY  OF  THE  CORONADO  EXPEDITIONS, 

1527-1547, xxi 

TRANSLATION  OF  THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CASTA- 
NEDA.  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  EXPEDITION  TO 
ClBOLA  WHICH  TOOK  PLACE  IN  THE  YEAR 
1540,  IN  WHICH  ALL  THOSE  SETTLE 
MENTS,  THEIR  CEREMONIES  AND  Cus- 

TOMES,     ARE     DESCRIBED.       WRITTEN     BY 

PEDRO  DE  CASTANEDA,  OF  NAJERA,    .    xxvii 
PREFACE, xxix 

FIRST  PART 

Chapter  I.  Treats  of  the  way  we  first  came  to 
know  about  the  Seven  Cities,  and  of  how 
Nuno  de  Guzman  made  an  expedition  to 
discover  them, 1 

Chapter  II.  Of  how  Francisco  Vazquez  Coro- 
nado  came  to  be  governor,  and  the  second 
account  which  Cabeza  de  Vaca  gave,  .  4 

Chapter  III.  Of  how  they  killed  the  negro 
Stephen  at  Cibola,  and  Friar  Marcos  re 
turned  in  flight,  ......  8 

Chapter  IV.  Of  how  the  noble  Don  Antonio  de 
Mendoza  made  an  expedition  to  discover 
Cibola,  .......  8 

Chapter  V.  Concerning  the  captains  who  went 

to  Cibola 11 

xiii 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  VI.  Of  how  all  the  companies  col 
lected  in  Compostela  and  set  off  on  the  jour 
ney  in  good  order, 13 

Chapter  VII.  Of  how  the  army  reached  Chia- 
metla,  and  the  killing  of  the  army-master, 
and  the  other  things  that  happened  up  to 
the  arrival  at  Culiacan,  .  .  .  .16 

Chapter  VIII.  Of  how  the  army  entered  the 
town  of  Culiacan  and  the  reception  it  re 
ceived,  and  other  things  which  happened 
before  the  departure, 18 

Chapter  IX.  Of  how  the  army  started  from 
Culiacan  and  the  arrival  of  the  general  at 
Cibola  and  of  the  army  at  Seiiora  and  of 
other  things  that  happened,  .  .  .21 

Chapter  X. — Of  how  the  army  started  from  the 
town  of  Senora,  leaving  it  inhabited,  and 
how  it  reached  Cibola,  and  of  what  hap 
pened  to  Captain  Melchior  Diaz  on  his  ex 
pedition  in  search  of  the  ships  and  how  he 
discovered  the  Tison  (Firebrand)  river,  .  26 

Chapter  XI.  How  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar  discov 
ered  Tusayan  or  Tutahaco  and  Don  Garcia 
Lopez  de  Cardenas  saw  the  Firebrand  river 
and  the  other  things  that  had  happened,  .  32 

Chapter  XII.  Of  how  people  came  from  Cicuye 
to  Cibola  to  see  the  Christians,  and  how 
Hernando  de  Alvarado  went  to  see  the 
cows, 37 

Chapter  XIII.  Of  how  the  general  went  tow 
ard  Tutahaco  with  a  few  men  and  left  the 
army  with  Don  Tristan,  who  took  it  to 
Tiguex, 42 

Chapter  XIV.  Of   how  the  army  went  from 
Cibola  to  Tiguex  and  what  happened  to 
them  on  the  way,  on  account  of  the  snow,  .    44 
xiv 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  XV.  Of  why  Tiguex  revolted,  and 
how  they  were  punished,  without  being  to 
blame  for  it,  .......  47 

Chapter  XVI.  Of  how  they  besieged  Tiguex 
and  took  it  and  of  what  happened  during 
the  siege, 52 

Chapter  XVII.  Of  how  messengers  reached  the 
army  from  the  valley  of  Senora  and  how 
Captain  Melchior  Diaz  died  on  the  expedi 
tion  to  the  Firebrand  river,  .  .  .58 

Chapter  XVIII.  Of  how  the  general  managed 
to  leave  the  country  in  peace  so  as  to  go  in 
search  of  Quivira,  where  the  Turk  said 
there  was  the  most  wealth,  .  .  .61 

Chapter  XIX.  Of  how  they  started  in  search  of 
Quivira  and  of  what  happened  on  the  way,  64 

Chapter  XX.  Of  how  great  stones  fell  in  the 
camp,  and  how  they  discovered  another 
ravine,  where  the  army  was  divided  into 
two  parts, to 

Chapter  XXI.  Of  how  the  army  returned  to 
Tiguex  and  the  general  reached  Quivira,  .  73 

Chapter  XXII.  Of  how  the  general  returned 
from  Quivira  and  of  other  expeditions 
toward  the  North, 77 

SECOND  PART 

WHICH  TREATS  OF  THE  HIGH  VILLAGES  AND 
PROVINCES  AND  OF  THEIR  HABITS  AND 
CUSTOMS,  AS  COLLECTED  BY  PEDRO  DE 
CASTANEDA,  NATIVE  OF  THE  CITY  OF 
NAJARA, 82 

Chapter  I.  Of  the  province  of  Culiacan  and  of 

its  habits  and  customs,       .        .        .        .84 
xv 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  II.  Of  the  province  of  Petlatlan  and 
all  the  inhabited  country  as  far  as  Chichil- 
ticalli, 87 

Chapter  III.  Of  Chichilticalli  and  the  desert, 
of  Cibola,  its  customs  and  habits,  and  of 
other  things 90 

Chapter  IV.  Of  how  they  live  at  Tiguex,  and 
of  the  province  of  Tiguex  and  its  neighbor 
hood,  . 96 

Chapter  V.  Of  Cicuye  and  the  villages  in  its 
neighborhood,  and  of  how  some  people 
came  to  conquer  this  country,  .  .  .  102 

Chapter  VI.  Which  gives  the  number  of  vil 
lages  which  were  seen  in  the  country  of  the 
terraced  houses,  and  their  population,  .  106 

Chapter  VII.  Which  treats  of  the  plains  that 
were  crossed,  of  the  cows,  and  of  the  peo 
ple  who  inhabit  them,  ....  109 

Chapter  VIII.  Of  Quivira,  of  where  it  is  and 
some  information  about  it,  .  .  .  .  113 

THIRD  PART 

WHICH  DESCRIBES  WHAT  HAPPENED  TO 
FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ  CORONADO  DURING 
THE  WINTER,  AND  How  HE  GAVE  UP 
THE  EXPEDITION  AND  RETURNED  TO  NEW 
SPAIN, 117 

Chapter  I.  Of  how  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar  came 
from  Senora  with  some  meii,  and  Don  Gar 
cia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  started  back  to  New 
Spain,  .  . 117 

Chapter  II.  Of  the  general's  fall,  ai-d  of  how 
the  return  to  New  Spain  was  ordered,  .  119 

Chapter  III.  Of  the  rebellion  at  Suya  and  the 
reasons  the  settlers  gave  for  it,    .        .        .  122 
xvi 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  IV.  Of  how  Friar  Juan  de  Padilla  and 
Friar  Luis  remained  in  the  country  and  the 
army  prepared  to  return  to  Mexico,  .  .  125 

Chapter  V.  Of  how  the  army  left  the  settle 
ments  and  marched  to  Culiacan,  and  of 
what  happened  on  the  way,  .  .  .  129 

Chapter  VI.  Of  how  the  general  started  from 
Culiacan  to  give  the  viceroy  an  account  of 
the  army  with  which  he  had  been  in 
trusted,  .  .  . •  .  .  .  .132 

Chapter  VII.  Of  the  adventures  of  Captain 
Juan  Gallego  while  he  was  bringing  re- 
enforcements  through  the  revolted  coun 
try,  135 

Chapter  VIII.  Which  describes  some  remark 
able  things  that  were  seen  on  the  plains, 
with  a  description  of  the  bulls,  .  .  .  139 

Chapter  IX.  Which  treats  of  the  direction 
which  the  army  took  and  of  how  another 
more  direct  way  might  be  found,  if  anyone 
was  to  return  to  that  country,  .  .  .  143 

TRANSLATION  OP  THE  LETTER  FROM  MENDOZA 
TO  THE  KING,  APRIL  17,  1540,  .  .  149 

TRANSLATION  OP  THE  LETTER  FROM  CORONADO 
TO  MENDOZA,  AUGUST  3,  1540.  THE  AC 
COUNT  GIVEN  BY  FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ 
DE  CORONADO,  CAPTAIN-GENERAL  OP  THE 
FORCE  WHICH  WAS  SENT  IN  THE  NAME 
OP  His  MAJESTY  TO  THE  NEWLY  DIS 
COVERED  COUNTRY,  OP  WHAT  HAPPENED 
TO  THE  EXPEDITION  AFTER  APRIL  22  OP 
THE  YEAR  MDXL,  WHEN  HE  STARTED 
FORWARD  FROM  CULIACAN,  AND  OP  WHAT 
HE  FOUND  IN  THE  COUNTRY  THROUGH 
WHICH  HE  PASSED,  .  .  .  .  .159 
xvii 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.  Francisco  Vazquez  starts  from  Culiacan  with 

his  army,  and  after  suffering  various  incon 
veniences  on  account  of  the  badness  of  the 
way,  reaches  the  Valley  of  Hearts,  where 
he  failed  to  find  any  corn,  to  procure  which 
he  sends  to  the  valley  called  Senora.  He 
receives  an  account  of  the  important  Valley 
of  Hearts  and  of  the  people  there,  and  of 
some  lands  lying  along  that  coast,  .  .  159 

II.  They  come  to  Chichilticale ;  after  having 

taken  two  days'  rest,  they  enter  a  country 
containing  very  little  food  and  hard  to 
travel  for  30  leagues,  beyond  which  the 
country  becomes  pleasant,  and  there  is  a 
river  called  the  River  of  the  Flax  (del 
Lino) ;  they  fight  against  the  Indians,  being 
attacked  by  these ;  and  having  by  their  vic 
tory  secured  the  city,  they  relieve  them 
selves  of  the  pangs  of  their  hunger,  .  .  164 

III.  Of  the  situation  and  condition  of  the  Seven 
Cities  called  the  kingdom  of  Cevola,  and 
the  sort  of  people  and  their  customs,  and 

of  the  animals  which  are  found  there,        .  172 

IV.  Of  the  nature  and  situation  of  the  king 
doms   of    Totonteac,   Marata,   and    Acus, 
wholly  different  from  the  account  of  Friar 
Marcos.     The  conference  which  they  had 
with  the  Indians  of  the  city  of  Granada, 
which  they  had  captured,  who  had  been 
forewarned  of  the  coming  of  Christians  into 
their  country  fifty  years  before.     The  ac 
count  which  was  obtained  from  them  con 
cerning  seven  other  cities,  of  which  Tucano 
is  the  chief,  and  how  he  sent  to  discover 
them.     A  present  sent  to  Mendoza  of  vari 
ous  things  found  in  this  country  by  Vaz 
quez  Coronado, 177 

xviii 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

TRANSLATION    OF    THE    TRASLADO    DE    LAS 

NUEVAS,       .......  186 

Copy  of  the  Reports  and  Descriptions  that 
Have  Been  Received  Regarding  the  Discov 
ery  of  a  City  which  is  called  Cibola,  Situ 
ated  in  the  New  Country,  ....  186 

This  is  the  Latest  Account  of  Cibola,  and  of 
More  than  Four  Hundred  Leagues  Beyond,  190 

TRANSLATION  OP  THE  RELACION  DEL  SUCESO,  197 
Account  of  what  Happened  on  the  Journey 
which  Francisco  Vazquez  Made  to  Discover 
Cibola, 197 

TRANSLATION  OP  A  LETTER  PROM  CORONADO 
TO  THE  KING,  OCTOBER  20,  1541,  ,  .  213 

Letters  from  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado  to 
His  Majesty,  in  which  he  gives  an  Ac 
count  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Province  of 
Tiguex, 213 

TRANSLATION  OP  THE  NARRATIVE  OP  JARA- 
MILLO, 222 

Account  Given  by  Captain  Juan  Jaramillo  of 
the  Journey  which  he  made  to  the  New 
Country,  on  which  Francisco  Vazquez  Cor 
onado  was  the  General,  ....  222 

TRANSLATION  OP  THE  REPORT  OP  HERNANDO 
DE  ALVARADO, 241 

Account  of  what  Hernando  de  Alvarado  and 
Friar  Juan  de  Padilla  Discovered  Going  in 
Search  of  the  South  Sea,  .  .  .  .241 

TESTIMONY  CONCERNING  THOSE  WHO  WENT 
ON  THE  EXPEDITION  WITH  FRANCISCO 
VAZQUEZ  CORONADO,  ....  245 


xix 


ITINERARY   OF   THE    CORONADO 
EXPEDITIONS,  1527-1547 


1527 

JUNE  17        Narvaez  sails  from  Spain  to  explore  the 
mainland  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

1528 

APRIL  15      Narvaez  lands  in  Florida. 
SEPT.  22       The  failure  of  the  Narvaez  expedition 
is  assured. 

1535 

Cortes  makes  a  settlement   in   Lower 

California. 
Mendoza  comes  to  Mexico  as  viceroy  of 

New  Spain. 

1536 

APRIL  Cabeza  de  Vaca  and  three  other  sur 

vivors  of  the  Narvaez  expedition  ar 
rive  in  New  Spain. 

The  Licenciate  de  la  Torre  takes  the 
residencia  of  Nuno  de  Guzman,  who 
is  imprisoned  until  June  30,  1538. 

1537 

Franciscan  friars  labor  among  the  In 
dian  tribes  living  north  of  New  Spain. 

Coronado  subdues  the  revolted  miners 
of  Amatepeque. 

The  proposed  expedition  under  Dorantes 

comes  to  naught. 

APRIL  20      De  Soto  receives  a  grant  of  the  main 
land  of  Florida. 

xxi 


ITINERARY  OF  THE  EXPEDITIONS 

1538 

SEPT.  It  is  rumored  that  Coronado  has  been 

nominated  governor  of  New  Galicia. 

1539 

Pedro  de  Alvarado  returns  from  Spain 
to  the  New  World. 

MARCH  7  Friar  Marcos  de  Niza,  accompanied  by 
the  negro  Estevan,  starts  from  Culia- 
can  to  find  the  Seven  Cities. 

APRIL  18  The  appointment  of  Corouado  as  gov 
ernor  of  New  Galicia  is  confirmed. 

MAY  De  Soto  sails  from  Habana. 

MAY  9  Friar  Marcos  enters  the  wilderness  of 

Arizona. 

MAY  21  Friar  Marcos  learns  of  the  death  of 
Estevan. 

MAY  25         De  Soto  lands  on  the  coast  of  Florida. 

JULY  8  Ulloa  sails  from  Acapulco  nearly  to  the 
head  of  the  Gulf  of  California  in  com 
mand  of  a  fleet  furnished  by  Cortes. 

AUGUST        Friar  Marcos  returns  from  the  north  and 

SEPT.  2  certifies  to  the  truth  of  his  report  be 

fore  Mendoza  and  Coronado. 

OCTOBER  The  news  of  Niza's  discoveries  spreads 
through  New  Spain. 

Nov.  Mendoza  begins  to  prepare  for  an  expe 

dition  to  conquer  the  Seven  Cities  of 
Cibola. 

Melchior  Diaz  is  sent  to  verify  the  re 
ports  of  Friar  Marcos. 
De  Soto  finds  the  remains  of  the  camp 
of  Narvaez  at  Bahia  de  los  Cavallos. 

Nov.  12  Witnesses  in  Habana  describe  the  effect 
of  the  friar's  reports. 


1540 

JAN.  1          Mendoza  celebrates   the  new   year  at 

Pasquaro. 

JAN.  9  Coronado  at  Guadalajara. 

FEB.  5          Cortes  stops  at  Habana  on  his  way  to 

Spain. 

FEB.  The  members  of  the  Cibola  expedition 

xxii 


ITINERARY  OF  THE  EXPEDITIONS 

assemble  at  Compostela,  where  the 
viceroy  finds  them  on  his  arrival. 

FEB.  22.       Review  of  the  army  on  Sunday. 

FEB.  23.  The  army,  under  the  command  of  Fran 
cisco  Vazquez  Coronado,  starts  for 
Cibola  (not  on  February  1). 

FEB.  26.  Mendoza  returns  to  Compostela,  hav 
ing  left  the  army  two  days  before, 
and  examines  witnesses  to  discover 
how  many  citizens  of  New  Spain  have 
accompanied  Coronado.  He  writes  a 
letter  to  King  Charles  V,  which  has 
been  lost. 

MARCH         The  army  is  delayed  by  the  cattle  in 

crossing  the  rivers. 
The  death  of  the  army  master,  Saman- 

iego,  at  Chiametla. 

Return  of  Melchior  Diaz  and  Juan  de 
Saldivar  from  Chichilticalli. 

MARCH  3  Beginning  of  litigation  in  Spain  over 
the  right  to  explore  and  conquer  the 
Cibola  country. 

MARCH  28  Reception  to  the  army  at  Culiacan,  on 
Easter  day. 

APRIL  The  army  is  entertained  by  the  citizens 

of  Culiacan. 

Mendoza  receives  the  report  of  Melchior 
Diaz'  exploration,  perhaps  at  Jacona. 
Coronado  writes  to  Mendoza,  giving  an 
account  of  what  has  already  hap 
pened,  and  of  the  arrangements  which 
he  has  made  for  the  rest  of  the  journey. 
This  letter  has  been  lost. 

APRIL  17  Mendoza  writes  to  the  Emperor 
Charles  V. 

APRIL  22  Coronado  departs  from  Culiacan  with 
about  seventy -five  horsemen  and  a  few 
footmen. 

APRIL  Coronado     passes    through    Petatlan, 

MAY  Cinaloa,   Los  Cedros,  Yaquemi,  and 

other  places  mentioned  by  Jaramillo. 

MAY  9  Alarcon  sails  from  Acapulco  to  co5p- 

erate  with  Coronado.  The  army  starts 
from  Culiacan  and  marches  toward 
the  Corazones  or  Hearts  valley. 

MAY  26         Coronado  leaves  the  valley  of  Corazones. 

JUNE  He  proceeds  to  Chichilticalli,  passing 

xxiii 


ITINERARY  OF  THE  EXPEDITIONS 

Senora  or  Sonora  and  Ispa,  and  thence 
crosses  the  Arizona  wilderness,  ford 
ing  many  rivers. 

The  army  builds  the  town  of  San  Hie- 
ronimo  in  Corazones  valley. 

JULY  7  Coronado  reaches  Cibola  and  captures 
the  first  city,  the  pueblo  of  Hawikuh, 
which  he  calls  Granada. 

JULY  11  The  Indians  retire  to  their  stronghold 
on  Thunder  mountain. 

JULY  15  Pedro  de  Tovar  goes  to  Tusayan  or 
Moki,  returning  within  thirty  days. 

JULY  19  Coronado  goes  to  Thunder  mountain 
and  returns  the  same  day. 

AUG.  3  Coronado  writes  to  Mendoza.  He  sends 
Juan  Gallego  to  Mexico,  and  Melchior 
Diaz  to  Corazones  with  orders  for  the 
army.  Friar  Marcos  accompanies 
them. 

AUG.  25  (?)  Lopez  de  Cardenas  starts  to  find  the 
canyons  of  Colorado  river,  and  is  gone 
about  eighty  days. 

AUG.  26  Alarcon  enters  the  mouth  of  Colorado 
river. 

AUG.  29  Hernando  de  Alvarado  goes  eastward 
to  Tiguex,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  to 
the  buffalo  plains. 

Pedro    de   Alvarado   arrives   in   New 
Spain. 

SEPT.  7         Hernando  de  Alvarado  reaches  Tiguex. 
Diaz  and  Gallego  reach  Corazones  about 
the  middle  of  September,   and    the 
army  starts  for  Cibola. 
Coronado  visits  Tutahaco. 

SEPT.  TO       The    army  reaches  Cibola,   and    goes 

JANUARY  thence  to  Tiguex  for  its  winter  quar 
ters.  The  natives  in  the  Rio  Grande 
pueblos  revolt  and  are  subjugated. 
The  Turk  tells  the  Spaniards  about 
Quivira. 

OCTOBER  Diaz  starts  from  Corazones  before  the 
end  of  September,  with  twenty  five 
men,  and  explores  the  country  along 
the  Gulf  of  California,  going  beyond 
Colorado  river. 

Diego  de  Alcaraz  is  left  in  command  of 
the  town  of  San  Hieronimo. 
xxiv 


ITINERARY  OF  THE  EXPEDITIONS 

Nov.  29  Mendoza  and  Pedro  de  Alvarado  sign 
an  agreement  in  regard  to  common  ex 
ploration  and  conquests. 

1541 

JAN.  8  Diaz  dies  on  the  return  from  the  mouth 

of  the  Colorado,  and  his  companions 
return  to  Corazones  valley. 

MARCH  Alcaraz,  during  the  spring,  moves  the 
village  of  San  Hieronimo  from  Cora- 
zones  valley  to  the  valley  of  Suya 
river. 

APRIL  20      Beginning  of  the  Mixton  war  in  New 

Galicia. 
Coronado  writes  a  letter  to  the  King 

from  Tiguex,  which  has  been  lost. 
Tovar  and  perhaps  Gallego  return  to 
Mexico. 

APRIL  23  Coronado  starts  with  all  his  force  from 
Tiguex  to  cross  the  buffalo  plains  to 
Quivira. 

MAY  The  army  is  divided  somewhere  on  the 

great   plains,  perhaps   on   Canadian 
river.    The   main   body    returns    to 
Tiguex,  arriving  there  by  the  middle 
or  last  of  June. 
De  Soto  crosses  the  Mississippi. 

JUNE  Coronado,  with  thirty  horsemen,  rides 

north  to  Quivira,  where  he  arrives 
forty -two  (?)  days  later. 

JUNE  24  Pedro  de  Alvarado  is  killed  at  Nochis- 
tlan,  in  New  Galicia. 

AUGUST  Coronado  spends  about  twenty -five  days 
in  the  country  of  Quivira,  leaving 
"  the  middle  or  last  of  August.  " 

SEPT  28  The  Indians  in  New  Galicia  attack  the 
town  of  Guadalajara,  but  are  re 
pulsed. 

OCT.  2  Coronado  returns  from  Quivira  to  Ti 
guex  and  writes  a  letter  to  the  King. 

Nov.  Cardenas  starts  to  return  to  Mexico  with 

some  other  invalids  from  the  army. 
He  finds  the  village  of  Suya  in  ruins 
and  hastily  returns  to  Tiguex. 

DECEMBER  Coronado  falls  from  his  horse  and  is 
seriously  injured. 

XXV 


ITINERARY   OF  THE  EXPEDITIONS 


The  Mixton  peilol  is  surrendered  by  the 
revolted  Indians  during  holiday  week. 

1542 

Coronado  and  his  soldiers  determine  to 
return  to  New  Spain.  They  start  in 
the  spring,  and  reach  Mexico  probably 
late  in  the  autumn.  The  general 
makes  his  report  to  the  viceroy,  who 
receives  him  coldly.  Coronado  not 
long  after  resigns  his  position  as  gov 
ernor  of  New  Galicia  and  retires  to  his 
estates. 

APRIL  17  De  Soto  reaches  the  mouth  of  Red  river, 
where  he  dies,  May  21. 

JUNE  27  Cabrillo  starts  on  his  voyage  up  the 
California  coast.  He  dies  in  January, 
1543,  and  the  vessels  return  to  New 
Spain  by  April,  1544. 

Nov.  1  Villalobos  starts  across  the  Pacific.  His 
fleet  meets  with  many  misfortunes 
and  losses.  The  survivors,  five  years 
or  more  later,  return  to  Spain. 

Nov.  25  Friar  Juan  de  la  Cruz  is  killed  at  Ti- 
guex,  where  he  remained  when  the 
army  departed  for  New  Spain.  Friar 
Luis  also  remained  in  the  new  coun 
try,  at  Cicuye,  and  Friar  Juan  de 
Padilla,  at  Quivira,  where  he  is  killed. 
The  companions  of  Friar  Juan  de  Pa 
dilla  make  their  way  back  to  Mexico, 
arriving  before  1552. 

1544 

Nov.  30        Promulgation  of    the    New  Laws    for 

the  Indies. 

Sebastian  Cabot  publishes  his  map  of 
the  New  World. 

1547 

Mendoza,  before  he  leaves  New  Spain 
to  become  viceroy  of  Peru,  answers 
the  charges  preferred  against  him  by 
the  officials  appointed  to  investigate 
his  administration, 
xxvi 


TRANSLATION  OF  THE  NARRATIVE  OF 
CASTANEDA 

Account  of  the  expedition  to  Cibola  which  took  place 
in  the  year  1540,  in  which  all  those  settlements,  their 
ceremonies  and  customer,  are  described.  Written  by 
Pedro  de  Castaneda,  of  Najera. 


PREFACE 

To  me  it  seems  very  certain,  my  very 
noble  lord,  that  it  is  a  worthy  ambition  for 
great  men  to  desire  to  know  and  wish  to 
preserve  for  posterity  correct  information 
concerning  the  things  that  have  happened 
in  distant  parts,  about  which  little  is  known. 
I  do  not  blame  those  inquisitive  persons 
who,  perchance  with  good  intentions,  have 
many  times  troubled  me  not  a  little  with 
their  requests  that  I  clear  up  for  them  some 
doubts  which  they  have  had  about  different 
things  that  have  been  commonly  related  con 
cerning  the  events  and  occurrences  that  took 
place  during  the  expedition  to  Cibola,  or  the 
New  Land,  which  the  good  viceroy — may  he 
be  with  God  in  His  glory  l — Don  Antonio 
de  Mendoza,  ordered  and  arranged,  and  on 
which  he  sent  Francisco  Vazquez  de  Corona- 
do  as  captain-general. 

In  truth,  they  have  reason  for  wishing  to 
know  the  truth,  because  most  people  very 
often  make  things  of  which  they  have  heard, 
and  about  which  they  have  perchance  no 
knowledge,  appear  either  greater  or  less  than 
they  are.  They  make  nothing  of  those 

1  Mendoza  died  in  Lima,  July  21,  1552. 
xxix 


PREFACE 

things  that  amount  to  something,  and  those 
that  do  not  they  make  so  remarkable  that 
they  appear  to  be  something  impossible  to 
believe.  This  may  very  well  have  been 
caused  by  the  fact  that,  as  that  country  was 
not  permanently  occupied,  there  has  not  been 
anyone  who  was  willing  to  spend  his  time  in 
writing  about  its  peculiarities,  because  all 
knowledge  was  lost  of  that  which  it  was  not 
the  pleasure  of  God — He  alone  knows  the 
reason — that  they  should  enjoy. 

In  truth,  he  who  wishes  to  employ  him 
self  thus  in  writing  out  the  things  that  hap 
pened  on  the  expedition,  and  the  things  that 
were  seen  in  those  lands,  and  the  ceremonies 
and  customs  of  the  natives,  will  have  matter 
enough  to  test  his  judgment,  and  I  believe 
that  the  result  can  not  fail  to  be  an  account 
which,  describing  only  the  truth,  will  be  so 
remarkable  that  it  will  seem  incredible. 

And  besides,  I  think  that  the  twenty 
years  and  more  since  that  expedition  took 
place  have  been  the  cause  of  some  stories 
which  are  related.  For  example,  some  make 
it  an  uninhabitable  country,  others  have  it 
bordering  on  Florida,  and  still  others  on 
Greater  India,  which  does  not  appear  to  be 
a  slight  difference.  They  are  unable  to  give 
any  basis  upon  which  to  found  their  state 
ments.  There  are  those  who  tell  about 
some  very  peculiar  animals,  who  are  contra 
dicted  by  others  who  were  on  the  expe 
dition,  declaring  that  there  was  nothing  of 
the  sort  seen.  Others  differ  as  to  the  limits 

XXX 


PREFACE 

of  the  provinces  and  even  in  regard  to  the 
ceremonies  and  customs,  attributing  what 
pertains  to  one  people  to  others.  All  this 
has  had  a  large  part,  my  very  noble  lord, 
in  making  me  wish  to  give  now,  although 
somewhat  late,  a  short  general  account  for 
all  those  who  pride  themselves  on  this  noble 
curiosity,  and  to  save  myself  the  time  Taken 
up  by  these  solicitations.  Things  enough 
will  certainly  be  found  here  which  are  hard 
to  believe.  All  or  the  most  of  these  were 
seen  with  my  own  eyes,  and  the  rest  is  from 
reliable  information  obtained  by  inquiry  of 
the  natives  themselves. 

Understanding  as  I  do  that  this  little 
work  would  be  nothing  in  itself,  lacking  au 
thority,  unless  it  were  favored  and  protected 
by  a  person  whose  authority  would  protect 
it  from  the  boldness  of  those  who,  without 
reverence,  give  their  murmuring  tongues 
liberty,  and  knowing  as  I  do  how  great  are 
the  obligations  under  which  I  have  always 
been,  and  am,  to  your  grace,  I  humbly  beg 
to  submit  this  little  work  to  your  protection. 
May  it  be  received  as  from  a  faithful  retainer 
and  servant. 

It  will  be  divided  into  three  parts,  that 
it  may  be  better  understood.  The  first  will 
tell  of  the  discovery  and  the  armament  or 
army  that  was  made  ready,  and  of  the  whole 
journey,  with  the  captains  who  were  there ; 
the  second,  of  the  villages  and  provinces 
which  were  found,  and  their  limits,  and 
ceremonies  and  customs,  the  animals,  fruits, 
xxxi 


PREFACE 

and  vegetation,  and  in  what  parts  of  the 
country  these  are;  the  third,  of  the  return 
of  the  army  and  the  reasons  for  abandoning 
the  country,  although  these  were  insufficient, 
because  tbis  is  the  best  place  there  is  for  dis 
coveries — the  marrow  of  the  land  in  these 
western  parts,  as  will  be  seen.  And  after 
this  Mas  been  made  plain,  some  remarkable 
things  which  were  seen  will  be  described  at 
the  end,  and  the  way  by  which  one  might 
more  easily  return  to  discover  that  better 
land  which  we  did  not  see,  since  it  would  be 
no  small  advantage  to  enter  the  country 
through  the  land  which  the  Marquis  of  the 
Valley,  Don  Fernando  Cortes,  went  in  search 
of  under  the  Western  star,  and  which  cost 
him  no  small  sea  armament. 

May  it  please  our  Lord  to  so  favor  me 
that  with  my  slight  knowledge  and  small 
abilities  I  may  be  able  by  relating  the  truth 
to  make  my  little  work  pleasing  to  the 
learned  and  wise  readers,  when  it  has  been 
accepted  by  your  grace.  For  my  intention 
is  not  t'o  gain  the  fame  of  a  good  composer 
or  rhetorician,  but  I  desire  to  give  a  faithful 
account  and  to  do  this  slight  service  to  your 
grace,  who  will,  I  hope,  receive  it  as  from  a 
faithful  servant  and  soldier,  who  took  part 
in  it.  Although  not  in  a  polished  style,  I 
write  that  which  happened — that  which  I 
heard,  experienced,  saw,  and  did. 

I  always  notice,  and  it  is  a  fact,  that  for 
the  most  part  when  we  have  something 
valuable  in  our  hands,  and  deal  with  it 
xxxii 


PREFACE 

without  hindrance,  we  do  not  value  or  prize 
it  as  highly  as  if  we  understood  how  much 
we  would  miss  it  after  we  had  lost  it,  and 
the  longer  we  continue  to  .have  it  the  less 
we  value  it;  but  after  we  have  lost  it  and 
miss  the  advantages  of  it,  we  have  a  great 
pain  in  the  heart,  and  we  are  all  the  time 
imagining  and  trying  to  find  ways  and 
means  by  which  to  get  it  back  again.  It 
seems  to  me  that  this  has  happened  to  all 
or  most  of  those  who  went  on  the  expedition 
which,  in  the  year  of  our  Savior  Jesus 
Christ  1540,  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado 
led  in  search  of  the  Seven  Cities. 

Granted  that  they  did  not  find  the  riches 
of  which  they  had  been  told,  they  found  a 
place  in  which  to  search  for  them  and  the 
beginning  of  a  good  country  to  settle  in,  so 
as  to  go  on  farther  from  there.  Since  they 
came  back  from  the  country  which  they  con 
quered  and  abandoned,  time  has  given  them 
a  chance  to  understand  the  direction  and 
locality  in  which  they  were,  and  the  borders 
of  the  good  country  they  had  in  their  hands, 
and  their  hearts  weep  for  having  lost  so  fa 
vorable  an  opportunity.  Just  as  men  see 
more  at  the  bull  fight  when  they  are  upon 
the  seats  than  when  they  are  around  in  the 
ring,  now  when  they  know  and  understand 
the  direction  and  situation  in  which  they 
were,  and  see,  indeed,  that  they  can  not  en 
joy  it  nor  recover  it,  now  when  it  is  too  late 
they  enjoy  telling  about  what  they  saw,  and 
even  of  what  they  realize  that  they  lost, 
xxxiii 


PREFACE 

especially  those  who  are  now  as  poor  as 
when  they  went  there.  They  have  never 
ceased  their  labors  and  have  spent  their  time 
to  no  advantage.  I  say  this  because  I  have 
known  several  of  those  who  came  back  from 
there  who  amuse  themselves  now  by  talking 
of  how  it  would  be  to  go  back  and  proceed 
to  recover  that  which  is  lost,  while  others 
enjoy  trying  to  rind  the  reason  why  it  was 
discovered  at  all.  And  now  I  will  proceed 
to  relate  all  that  happened  from  the  begin 
ning. 


xxxiv 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 


FIKST  PART 

CHAPTER  I 

Treats  of  the  way  we  first  came  to  know  about 
the  Seven  Cities,  and  of  how  Nuno  de  Guzman 
made  an  expedition  to  discover  them. 

Ix  the  year  1530  Nuno  de  Guzman,  who 
was  President  of  New  Spain,1  had  in  his  pos 
session  an  Indian,  a  native  of  the  valley  or 
valleys  of  Oxitipar,  who  was  called  Tejo  by 
the  Spaniards.  This  Indian  said  he  was  the 
son  of  a  trader  who  was  dead,  but  that  when 
he  was  a  little  boy  his  father  had  gone  into 
the  back  country  with  fine  feathers  to  trade 
for  ornaments,  and  that  when  he  came  back 
he  brought  a  large  amount  of  gold  and  silver, 
of  which  there  is  a  good  deal  in  that  coun 
try.  He  went  with  him  once  or  twice,  and 
saw  some  very  large  villages,  which  he  com 
pared  to  Mexico  and  its  environs.  He  had 
seen  seven  very  large  towns  which  had  streets 
of  silver  workers.  It  took  forty  days  to  go 

1  President,  or  head,  of  the  Audiencia,  the  admin 
istrative  and  judicial  board  which  governed  the 
province. 

1 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  OORONADO 

there  from  his  country,  through  a  wilderness 
in  which  nothing  grew,  except  some  very 
small  plants  about  a  span  high.  The  way 
they  went  was  up  through  the  country  be 
tween  the  two  seas,  following  the  northern 
direction.  Acting  on  this  information,  Nuiio 
de  Guzman  got  together  nearly  400  Span 
iards  and  20,000  friendly  Indians  of  New 
Spain,  and,  as  he  happened  to  be  in  Mexico, 
he  crossed  Tarasca,  which  is  in  the  province 
of  Michoacan,  so  as  to  get  into  the  region 
which  the  Indian  said  was  to  be  crossed 
toward  the  North  sea,  in  this  way  getting  to 
the  country  which  they  were  looking  for, 
which  was  already  named  "  The  Seven  Cities. " 
He  thought,  from  the  forty  days  of  which 
the  Tejo  had  spoken,  that  it  would  be  found 
to  be  about  200  leagues,  and  that  they  would 
easily  be  able  to  cross  the  country. 

Omitting  several  things  that  occurred  on 
this  journey,  as  soon  as  they  had  reached 
the  province  of  Culiacan,  where  his  govern 
ment  ended  and  where  the  New  Kingdom  of 
Galicia  is  now,  they  tried  to  cross  the  coun 
try,  but  found  the  difficulties  very  great,  be 
cause  the  mountain  chains  which  are  near 
that  sea  are  so  rough  that  it  was  impossible, 
after  great  labor,  to  find  a  passageway  in  that 
region.  His  whole  army  had  to  stay  in  the 
district  of  Culiacan  for  so  long  on  this  ac 
count  that  some  rich  men  who  were  with 
him,  who  had  possessions  in  Mexico,  changed 
their  minds,  and  every  day  became  more 
anxious  to  return.  Besides  this,  Nuno  de 
2 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

Guzman  received  word  that  the  Marquis  of 
the  Valley,  Don  Fernando  Cortes,  had  come 
from  Spain  with  his  new  title,1  and  with 
great  favors  and  estates,  and  as  Nuno  de 
Guzman  had  been  a  great  rival  of  his  at  the 
time  he  was  president,2  and  had  done  much 
damage  to  his  property  and  to  that  of  his 
friends,  he  feared  that  Don  Fernando  Cortes 
would  want  to  pay  him  back  in  the  same 
way,  or  worse.  So  he  decided  to  establish 
the  town  of  Culiacan  there  and  to  go  back 
with  the  other  men,  without  doing  anything 
more. 

After  his  return  from  this  expedition,  he 
founded  Xalisco,  where  the  city  of  Com- 
postela  is  situated,  and  Tonala,  which  is 
called  Guadalaxara,3  and  now  this  is  the 
New  Kingdom  of  Galicia.  The  guide  they 
had,  who  was  called  Tejo,  died  about  this 
time,  and  thus  the  name  of  these  Seven 
Cities  and  the  search  for  them  remains  until 
ru)w,  since  they  have  not  been  discovered.4 

1  Marques  del  Valle  de  Oaxaca  y  Capitan  General 
de  la  Nueva  Espafia  y  de  la  Costa  del  Sur. 

2  Guzman  had  presided  over  the  trial  of  Cortes, 
who  was  in  Spain  at  the  time,  for  the  murder  of  his 
first  wife  seven  years  previously  (October,  1522). 
See  Zaragoza's  edition  of  Suarez  de  Peralta's  Trata- 
do,  p.  315. 

3  The  name  was  changed  in  1540. 

4  The  best  discussion  of  the  stories  of  the  Seven 
Caves  and  the  Seven  Cities  is  in  Bandelier's  Contri 
butions,  p.  9,  ff. 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  COtfONADO 


CHAPTER  II 

Of  how  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado  came  to  be 
governor,  and  the  second  account  which  Cabeza  de 
Vaca  gave. 

EIGHT  years  after  Nuiio  de  Guzman  made 
this  expedition,  he  was  put  in  prison  by  a 
juez  de  residencia,1  named  the  licentiate 
Diego  de  la  Torre,  who  came  from  Spain 
with  sufficient  powers  to  do  this.2  After 
the  death  of  the  judge,  who  had  also  man 
aged  the  government  of  that  country  himself, 
the  good  Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza,  viceroy 
of  New  Spain,  appointed  as  governor  of  that 
province  Francisco  Vazquez  de  Coronado,  a 
gentleman  from  Salamanca,  who  had  married 
a  lady  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  the  daughter 
of  Alonso  de  Estrada,  the  treasurer  and  at 
one  time  governor  of  Mexico,  and  the  son, 
most  people  said,  of  His  Catholic  Majesty 
Don  Ferdinand,  and  many  stated  it  as  cer 
tain.  As  I  was  saying,  at  the  time  Fran 
cisco  Vazquez  was  appointed  governor,  he 
was  traveling  through  New  Spain  as  an  offi 
cial  inspector,  and  in  this  way  he  gained  the 
friendship  of  many  worthy  men  who  after 
ward  went  on  his  expedition  with  him. 

1  A  judge  appointed  to  investigate  the  accounts 
and  administration  of  a  royal  official. 

2  A  full  account  of  the  licentiate  de  la  Torre  and 
his  administration  is  given   by  Mota,  Padilla  (ed. 
Icazbalceta,  pp.  103-106).     He  was  appointed  juez 
March  17,  1536,  and  died  during  1538. 

4 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

It  happened  that  just  at  this  time  three 
Spaniards,  named  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  Dorantes, 
and  Castillo  Maldonado,  and  a  negro,  who 
had  been  lost  on  the  expedition  which  Parn- 
filo  de  Narvaez  led  into  Florida,  reached 
Mexico.1  They  came  out  through  Culiacan, 
having  crossed  the  country  from  sea  to  sea, 
as  anyone  who  wishes  may  find  out  for  him 
self  by  an  account  which  this  same  Cabeza 
de  Vaca  wrote  and  dedicated  to  Prince  Don 
Philip,  who  is  now  King  of  Spain  and  our 
sovereign. a  They  gave  the  good  Don  An 
tonio  de  Mendoza  an  extended  account  of 
some  powerful  villages,  four  and  five  stories 
high,  of  which  they  had  heard  a  great  deal 
iii  the  countries  they  had  crossed,  and  other 
things  very  different  from  what  turned  out 
to  be  the  truth.  The  noble  viceroy  com 
municated  this  to  the  new  governor,  who 
gave  up  the  visits  he  had  in  hand,  on  account 
of  this,  and  hurried  his  departure  for  his  gov 
ernment,  taking  with  him  the  negro  who 
had  come  [with  Cabeza  de  Vaca]  with  the 
three  friars  of  the  order  of  Saint  Francis,  one 
of  whom  was  named  Friar  Marcos  of  Nice, 
a  regular  priest,  and  another  Friar  Daniel,  a 
lay  brother,  and  the  other  Friar  Antonio  de 
Santa  Maria.  When  he  reached  the  prov 
ince  of  Culiacan  he  sent  the  friars  just  men- 

1  They  appeared  in  New  Spain  in  April,  1536,  be 
fore  Coronado's  appointment.  Castaneda  may  be 
right  in  the  rest  of  his  statement. 

*  This  account  has  been  translated  by  Buckingham 
Smith,  New  York,  1871. 

5 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

tioned  and  the  negro,  who  was  named 
Stephen,  off  in  search  of  that  country,  be 
cause  Friar  Marcos  offered  to  go  and  see  it, 
because  he  had  been  in  Peru  at  the  time 
Don  Pedro  de  Alvarado  went  there  overland. 
It  seems  that,  after  the  friars  I  have  men 
tioned  and  the  negro  had  started,  the  negro 
did  not  get  on  well  with  the  friars,  because 
he  took  the  women  that  were  given  him  and 
collected  turquoises,  and  got  together  a  stock 
of  everything.  Besides,  the  Indians  in  those 
places  through  which  they  went  got  along 
with  the  negro  better,  because  they  had  seen 
him  before.  This  was  the  reason  he  was 
sent  on  ahead  to  open  up  the  way  and  pacify 
the  Indians,  so  that  when  the  others  came 
along  they  had  nothing  to  do  except  to  keep 
an  account  of  the  things  for  which  they  were 
looking. 


CHAPTER  III 

Of  how  they  killed  the  negro  Stephen  at  Cibola, 
and  Friar  Marcos  returned  in  flight. 

AFTER  Stephen  had  left  the  friars,  he 
thought  he  could  get  all  the  reputation  and 
honor  himself,  and  that  if  he  should  discover 
those  settlements  with  such  famous  high 
houses,  alone,  he  would  be  considered  bold 
and  courageous.  So  he  proceeded  with  the 
people  who  had  followed  him,  and  attempted 
to  cross  the  wilderness  which  lies  between 
the  country  he  had  passed  through  and  Ci- 


THE  JOURNEY  OF   CORONADO 

bola.  He  was  so  far  ahead  of  the  friars 
that,  when  these  reached  Chichilticalli, 
which  is  on  the  edge  of  the  wilderness,  he 
was  already  at  Cibola,  which  is  80  leagues 
beyond.  It  is  220  leagues  from  Culiacan  to 
the  edge  of  the  wilderness,  and  80  across  the 
desert,  which  makes  300,  or  perhaps  10 
more  or  less.  As  I  said,  Stephen  reached 
Cibola  loaded  with  the  large  quantity  of  tur 
quoises  they  had  given  him  and  some  beau 
tiful  women  whom  the  Indians  who  fol 
lowed  him  and  carried  his  things  were  tak 
ing  with  them  and  had  given  him.  These 
had  followed  him  from  all  the  settlements 
he  had  passed,  believing  that  under  his  pro 
tection  they  could  traverse  the  whole  world 
without  any  danger. 

But  as  the  people  in  this  country  were 
more  intelligent  than  those  who  followed 
Stephen,  they  lodged  him  in  a  little  hut 
they  had  outside  their  village,  and  the  older 
men  and  the  governors  heard  his  story  and 
took  steps  to  find  out  the  reason  he  had  come 
to  that  country.  For  three  days  they  made 
inquiries  about  him  and  held  a  council. 
The  account  which  the  negro  gave  them  of 
two  white  men  who  were  following  him, 
sent  by  a  great  lord,  who  knew  about  the 
things  in  the  sky,  and  how  these  were  com 
ing  to  instruct  them  in  divine  matters,  made 
them  think  that  he  must  be  a  spy  or  a  guide 
from  some  nations  who  wished  to  come  and 
conquer  them,  because  it  seemed  to  them 
unreasonable  to  say  that  the  people  were 
7 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

white  in  the  country  from  which  he  came 
and  that  he  was  sent  by  them,  he  being 
black.  Besides  these  other  reasons,  they 
thought  it  was  hard  of  him  to  ask  them  for 
turquoises  and  women,  and  so  they  decided 
to  kill  him.  They  did  this,  but  they  did 
not  kill  any  of  those  who  went  with  him, 
although  they  kept  some  young  fellows 
and  let  the  others,  about  60  persons,  return 
freely  to  their  own  country.  As  these,  who 
were  badly  scared,  were  returning  in  flight, 
they  happened  to  come  upon  the  friars 
in  the  desert  60  leagues  from  Cibola,  and 
told  them  the  sad  news,  which  frightened 
them  so  much  that  they  would  not  even 
trust  these  folks  who  had  been  with  the 
negro,  but  opened  the  packs  they  were  carry 
ing  and  gave  away  everything  they  had 
except  the  holy  vestments  for  saying  mass. 
They  returned  from  here  by  double  marches, 
prepared  for  anything,  without  seeing  any 
more  of  the  country  except  what  the  Indians 
told  them. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Of  how  the  noble  Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza  made 
an  expedition  to  discover  Cibola. 

AFTER  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado  had 
sent  Friar  Marcos  of  Nice  and  his  party  on 
the  search  already  related,  he  was  engaged 
hi  Culiacan  about  some  business  that  related 
to  his  government,  when  he  heard  an  account 
8 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

of  a  province  called  Topira,1  which  was  to 
the  north  of  the  country  of  Culiacan.  He 
started  to  explore  this  region  with  several  of 
i  lie  conquerors  and  some  friendly  Indians, 
but  he  did  not  get  very  far,  because  the 
mountain  chains  which  they  had  to  cross 
were  very  difficult.  He  returned  without 
finding  the  least  signs  of  a  good  country,  and 
when  he  got  back,  he  found  the  friars  who 
had  just  arrived,  and  who  told  such  great 
things  about  what  the  negro  Stephen  had 
discovered  and  what  they  had  heard  from 
the  Indians,  and  other  things  they  had  heard 
about  the  South  sea  and  islands  and  other 
riches,  that,  without  stopping  for  anything, 
the  governor  set  off  at  once  for  the  City  of 
Mexico,  taking  Friar  Marcos  with  him,  to 
tell  the  viceroy  about  it.  He  made  the 
things  seem  more  important  by  not  talking 
about  them  to  anyone  except  his  particular 
friends,  under  promise  of  the  greatest  secrecy, 
until  after  he  had  reached  Mexico  and  seen 
Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza.  Then  it  began 
to  be  noised  abroad  that  the  Seven  Cities  for 
which  Nuno  de  Guzman  had  searched,  had 
already  been  discovered,  and  a  beginning 
was  made  in  collecting  an  armed  force  and 
in  bringing  together  people  to  go  to  conquer 
them. 

The  noble  viceroy  arranged  with  the 
friars  of  the  order  of  Saint  Francis  so  that 

1  Bandelier  (Contributions,  p.  104)  says  this  was 
Topia,  in  Durango,  a  locality  since  noted  for  its  rich 
mines. 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

Friar  Marcos  was  made  father  provincial,  as 
a  result  of  which  the  pulpits  of  that  order 
were  filled  with  such  accounts  of  marvels 
and  wonders  that  more  than  300  Spaniards 
and  about  800  natives  of  New  Spain  col 
lected  in  a  few  days.  There  were  so  many 
men  of  such  high  quality  among  the  Span 
iards,  that  such  a  noble  body  was  never  col 
lected  in  the  Indies,  nor  so  many  men  of 
quality  in  such  a  small  body,  there  being  300 
men.  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado,  governor 
of  New  Galicia,  was  captain-general,  because 
he  had  been  the  author  of  it  all.  The  good 
viceroy  Don  Antonio  did  this  because  at  this 
time  Francisco  Vazquez  was  his  closest  and 
most  intimate  friend,  and  because  he  con 
sidered  him  to  be  wise,  skillful,  and  intelli 
gent,  besides  being  a  gentleman.  Had  he 
paid  more  attention  and  regard  to  the  posi 
tion  in  which  he  was  placed  and  the  charge 
over  which  he  was  placed,  and  less  to  the 
estates  he  left  behind  in  New  Spain,  or,  at 
least,  more  to  the  honor  he  had  and  might 
secure  from  having  such  gentlemen  under 
his  command,  things  would  not  have  turned 
out  as  they  did.  When  this  narrative  is 
ended,  it  will  be  seen  that  he  did  not  know 
how  to  keep  his  position  nor  the  government 
that  he  held. 


10 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 


CHAPTER  V 
Concerning  the  captains  who  went  to  Cibola. 

WHEN  the  viceroy,  Don  Antonio  de  Men- 
doza,  saw  what  a  noble  company  had  come 
together,  and  the  spirit  and  good  will  with 
which  they  had  all  presented  themselves, 
knowing  the  worth  of  these  men,  he  would 
have  liked  very  well  to  make  every  one  of 
them  captain  of  an  army ;  but  as  the  whole 
number  was  small  he  could  not  do  as  he 
would  have  liked,  and  so  he  issued  the  com 
missions  and  captaincies  as  he  saw  fit,  be 
cause  it  seemed  to  him  that  if  they  were 
appointed  by  him,  as  he  was  so  well  obeyed 
and  beloved,  nobody  would  find  fault  with 
his  arrangements.  After  everybody  had 
heard  who  the  general  was,  he  made  Don 
Pedro  de  Tovar  ensign  general,  a  young  gen 
tleman  who  was  the  son  of  Don  Fernando  de 
Tovar,  the  guardian  and  lord  high  steward 
of  the  Queen  Dona  Juana,  our  demented 
mistress — may  she  be  in  glory — and  Lope 
de  Samaniego,  the  governor  of  the  arsenal  ab 
Mexico,1  a  gentleman  fully  equal  to  the 
charge,  army -master.  The  captains  were 
Don  Tristan  de  Arellano;  Don  Pedro  de 
Guevara,  the  son  of  Don  Juan  de  Guevara 
and  nephew  of  the  Count  of  Onate;  Don 

1  See  Mendoza's  letter  to  the  King,  regarding  Sa 
maniego 's  position, 

11 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas;  Don  Rodrigo 
Maldonado,  brother-in-law  of  the  Duke  of 
the  Infantado;  Diego  Lopez,  alderman  of 
Seville,  and  Diego  Gutierres,  for  the 
cavalry. 

All  the  other  gentlemen  were  placed  un 
der  the  flag  of  the  general,  as  being  distin 
guished  persons,  and  some  of  them  became 
captains  later,  and  their  appointments  were 
confirmed  by  order  of  the  viceroy  and  by  the 
general,  Francisco  Vazquez.  To  name  some 
of  them  whom  I  happen  to  remember,  there 
were  Francisco  de  -Barrionuevo,  a  gentleman 
from  Granada;  Juan  de  Saldivar,  Francisco 
de  Ovando,  Juan  Gallego,  and  Melchior  Diaz 
— a  captain  who  had  been  mayor  of  Culiacan, 
who,  although  he  was  not  a  gentleman, 
merited  the  position  he  held.  The  other 
gentlemen,  who  were  prominent,  were  Don 
Alonso  Manrique  de  Lara ;  Don  Lope  de  Ur- 
rea,  a  gentleman  from  Aragon ;  Gomez  Suarez 
de  Figueroa,  Luis  Ramirez  de  Vargas,  Juan 
de  Sotomayor,  Francisco  Gorbalan,  the  com 
missioner  Riberos,  and  other  gentlemen,  men 
of  high  quality,  whom  I  do  not  now  recall. 
The  infantry  captain  was  Pablo  de  Melgosa 
of  Burgos,  and  of  the  artillery,  Hernando  de 
Alvarado  of  the  mountain  district.  As  I 
say,  since  then  I  have  forgotten  the  names 
of  many  gentlemen.  It  would  be  well  if  I 
could  name  some  of  them,  so  that  it  might 
be  clearly  seen  what  cause  I  had  for  saying 
that  they  had  on  this  expedition  the  most 
brilliant  company  ever  collected  in  the  In- 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

dies  to  go  in  search  of  new  lands.  But  they 
were  unfortunate  in  having  a  captain  who 
left  in  New  Spain  estates  and  a  pretty  wife, 
a  noble  and  excellent  lady,  which  were  not 
the  least  causes  for  what  was  to  happen. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Of  how  all  the  companies  collected  in  Compostela 
and  set  off  on  the  journey  in  good  order. 

WHEN  the  viceroy  Don  Antonio  de  Men- 
doza  had  fixed  and  arranged  everything  as 
we  have  related,  and  the  companies  and  cap 
taincies  had  been  arranged,  h«  advanced  a 
part  of  their  salaries  from  the  chest  of  His 
Majesty  to  those  in  the  army  who  were  in 
greatest  need.  And  as  it  seemed  to  him 
that  it  would  be  rather  hard  for  the  friendly 
Indians  in  the  country  if  the  army  should 
start  from  Mexico,  he  ordered  them  to  as 
semble  at  the  city  of  Compostela,  the  chief 
city  in  the 'New  Kingdom  of  Galicia,  110 
leagues  from  Mexico,  so  that  they  could 
begin  their  journey  there  with  everything 
in  good  order.  There  is  nothing  to  tell 
about  what  happened  on  this  trip,  since 
they  all  finally  assembled  at  Compostela  by 
shrove-tid.e>  in  the  year  (fifteen  hundred  and) 
forty-one.1 

1  The  correct  date  is  1540.     Castaneda  carries  the 
error  throughout  the  narrative. 
13 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

After  the  whole  force  had  left  Mexico,  he 
ordered  Don  Pedro  de  Alarcon  to  set  sail 
with  two  ships  that  were  in  the  port  of  La 
Natividad  on  the  South  seacoast,  and  go  to 
the  port  of  Xalisco  to  take  the  baggage  which 
the  soldiers  were  unable  to  carry,1  and  thence 
to  sail  along  the  coast  near  the  army,  because 
he  had  understood  from  the  reports  that  they 
would  have  to  go  through  the  country  near 
the  seacoast,  and  that  we  could  find  the  har 
bors  by  means  of  the  rivers,  and  that  the 
ships  could  always  get  news  of  the  army, 
which  turned  out  afterward  to  be  false,  and 
so  all  this  stuff  was  lost,  or,  rather,  those 
who  owned  it  lost  it,  as  will  be  told  farther 
on.  After  the  viceroy  had  completed  all  his 
arrangements,  he  set  off  for  Compostela,  ac 
companied  by  many  noble  and  rich  men. 
He  kept  the  New  Year  of  (fifteen  hundred 
and)  forty-one  at  Pasquaro,  which  is  the 
chief  place  in  the  bishopric  of  Michoacan, 
and  from  there  he  crossed  the  whole  of  New 
Spain,  taking  much  pleasure  in  enjoying 
the  festivals  and  great  receptions  which 
were  given  him,  till  he  reached  Compo 
stela,  which  is,  as  I  have  said,  110 
leagues.  There  he  found  the  whole  com 
pany  assembled,  being  well  treated  and  en 
tertained  by  Christobal  de  Onate,  who  had 
the  whole  charge  of  that  government  for 
the  time  being.  He  had  had  the  manage 
ment  of  it  and  was  in  command  of  all  that 

1  See  the  instructions  given  by  Mendoza  to  Alar- 
con,  in  Buckingham  Smith's  Florida,  p.  1. 
14 


THE  JOURNEY  OF   CORONADO 

region  when  Francisco  Vazquez  was  made 
governor.1 

All  were  very  glad  when  he  arrived,  and 
he  made  an  examination  of  the  company  and 
found  all  those  whom  we  have  mentioned. 
He  assigned  the  captains  to  their  companies, 
and  after  this  was  done,  on  the  next  day, 
after  they  had  all  heard  mass,  captains  and 
soldiers  together,  the  viceroy  made  them  a 
very  eloquent  short  speech,  telling  them  of 
the  fidelity  they  owed  to  their  general  and 
showing  them  clearly  the  benefits  which  this 
expedition  might  afford,  from  the  conversion 
of  those  peoples  as  well  as  in  the  profit  of 
those  who  should  conquer  the  territory,  and 
the  advantage  to  His  Majesty  and  the  claim 
which  they  would  thus  have  on  his  favor 
and  aid  at  all  times.  After  he  had  finished, 
they  all,  both  captains  and  soldiers,  gave 
him  their  oaths  upon  the  Gospels  in  a  Mis 
sal  that  they  would  follow  their  general  on 
this  expedition  and  would  obey  him  in 
everything  he  commanded  them,  which  they 
faithfully  performed,  as  will  be  seen.  The 
next  day  after  this  was  done,  the  army 
started  off  with  its  colors  flying.  The  vice 
roy,  Don  Antonio,  went  with  them  for  two 
days,  and  there  he  took  leave  of  them,  re 
turning  to  New  Spain  with  his  friends. 

1  See  the  writings  ol  Tello  and  Mota  Padilla  con 
cerning  Onate.  Much  of  the  early  prosperity  of 
New  Galicia — what  there  was  of  it — seems  to  have 
been  due  to  Onate's  skillful  management. 


15 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 


CHAPTER  VII 

Of  how  the  army  reached  Chiametla,  and  the  kill 
ing  of  the  army -master,  and  the  other  things  that 
happened  up  to  the  arrival  at  Culiacan. 

AFTER  the  viceroy  Don  Antonio  left  them, 
the  army  continued  its  march.  As  eacli  one 
was  obliged  to  transport  his  own  baggage 
and  all  did  not  know  how  to  fasten  the 
packs,  and  as  the  horses  started  off  fat  and 
plump,  they  had  a  good  deal  of  difficulty 
and  labor  during  the  first  few  days,  and 
many  left  many  valuable  things,  giving 
them  to  anyone  who  wanted  them,  in  order 
to  get  rid  of  carrying  them.  In  the  end 
necessity,  which  is  all  powerful,  made  them 
skillful,  so  that  one  could  see  many  gentle 
men  become  carriers,  and  anybody  who 
despised  this  work  was  not  considered  a 
man. 

Witli  such  labors,  which  they  then  thought 
severe,  the  army  reached  Chiametla,  where 
it  was  obliged  to  delay  several  days  to  pro 
cure  food.  During  this  time  the  army-mas 
ter,  Lope  de  Samaniego,  went  off  with  some 
soldiers  to  find  food,  and  at  one  village,  a 
crossbowman  having  entered  it  indiscreetly 
in  pursuit  of  the  enemies,  they  shot  him 
through  the  eye  and  it  passed  through  his 
brain,  so  that  he  died  on  the  spot.  They 
also  shot  five  or  six  of  his  companions  before 
Diego  Lopez,  the  alderman  from  Seville, 
16 


TIffi  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

since  the  commander  was  dead,  collected  the 
men  and  sent  word  to  the  general.  He  put 
a  guard  in  the  village  and  over  the  provi 
sions.  There  was  great  confusion  in  the 
arm}7  when  this  news  became  known.  He 
was  buried  here.  Several  sorties  were  made, 
by  which  food  was  obtained  and  several  of 
the  natives  taken  prisoners.  They  hanged 
those  who  seemed  to  belong  to  the  district 
where  the  army-master  was  killed. 

It  seems  that  when  the  general,  Francisco 
Vazquez,  left  Culiacan  with  Friar  Marcos  to 
tell  the  viceroy,  Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza, 
the  news,  as  already  related,  he  left  orders 
for  Captain  Melchior  Diaz  and  Juan  de  Saldi- 
var  to  start  off  with  a  dozen  good  men  from 
Culiacan  and  verify  what  Friar  Marcos  had 
seen  and  heard.  They  started  and  went  as 
far  as  Chichilticalli,  which  is  where  the 
wilderness  begins,  220  leagues  from  Culia 
can,  and  there  they  turned  back,  not  finding 
anything  important.  They  reached  Chia- 
metla  just  as  the  army  was  ready  to  leave, 
and  reported  to  the  general.  Although  they 
were  kept  secret,  the  bad  news  leaked  out, 
and  there  were  some  reports  which,  al 
though  they  were  exaggerated,  did  not  fail 
to  give  an  indication  of  what  the  facts  were.1 
Friar  Marcos,  noticing  that  some  were  feol- 

1  The  report  of  Diaz  is  incorporated  in  the  letter 
from  Mendoza  to  the  King,  translated  herein.  This 
letter  seems  to  imply  that  Diaz  stayed  at  Chichilti 
calli  ;  but  if  such  was  his  intention  when  writing 
the  report  to  Mendoza,  he  must  have  changed  his 
mind  and  returned  with  Saldivar  as  far  as  Chiametla. 
2  17 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

ing  disturbed,  cleared  away  these  clouds, 
promising  that  what  they  would  see  should 
be  good,  and  that  he  would  place  the  army 
in  a  country  where  their  hands  would  be 
filled,  and  in  this  way  he  quieted  them  so 
that  they  appeared  well  satisfied.  From 
there  the  army  marched  to  Culiacan,  mak 
ing  some  detours  into  the  country  to  seize 
provisions.  They  were  two  leagues  from 
the  town  of  Culiacan  at  Easter  vespers,  when 
the  inhabitants  came  out  to  welcome  their 
governor  and  begged  him  not  to  enter  the 
town  till  the  day  after  Easter. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Of  how  the  army  entered  the  town  of  Culiacan 
and  the  reception  it  received,  and  other  things  which 
happened  before  the  departure. 

WHEN  the  day  after  Easter  came,  the  army 
started  in  the  morning  to  go  to  the  town  and, 
as  they  approached,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  came  out  on  to  an  open  plain  with  foot 
and  horse  drawn  up  in  ranks  as  if  for  a  bat 
tle,  and  having  its  seven  bronze  pieces  of 
artillery  in  position,  making  a  show  of  de 
fending  their  town.  Some  of  our  soldiers 
were  with  them.  Our  army  drew  up  in  the 
same  way  and  began  a  skirmish  with  them, 
and  after  the  artillery  on  both  sides  had  been 
fired  they  were  driven  back,  just  as  if  the 
town  had  been  taken  by  force  of  arms,  which 
was  a  pleasant  demonstration  of  welcome, 
18 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 

except  for  the  artilleryman  who  lost  a  hand 
by  a  shot,  from  having  ordered  them  to  fire 
before  he  had  finished  drawing  out  the  ram 
rod. 

After  the  town  was  taken,  the  army  was 
well  lodged  and  entertained  by  the  towns 
people,  who,  as  they  were  all  very  well-to-do 
people,  took  all  the  gentlemen  and  people  of 
quality  who  were  with  the  army  into  their 
own  apartments,  although  they  had  lodgings 
prepared  for  them  all  just  outside  the  town. 
Some  of  the  townspeople  were  not  ill  repaid 
for  this  hospitality,  because  all  had  started 
with  fine  clothes  and  accoutrements,  and  as 
they  had  to  carry  provisions  on  their  animals 
after  this,  they  were  obliged  to  leave  their 
fine  stuff,  so  that  many  preferred  giving  it 
to  their  hosts  instead  of  risking  it  on  the 
sea  by  putting  it  in  the  ship  that  had  fol 
lowed  the  army  along  the  coast  to  take  the 
extra  baggage,  as  I  have  said.  After  they 
arrived  and  were  being  entertained  in  the 
town,  the  general,  by  order  of  the  viceroy 
Don  Antonio,  left  Fernandarias  de  Saabedra, 
uncle  of  Hernandarias  de  Saabedra,  count  of 
Castellar,  formerly  mayor  of  Seville,  as  his 
lieutenant  and  captain  in  this  town.  The 
army  rested  here  several  days,  because  the 
inhabitants  had  gathered  a  good  stock  of 
provisions  that  year  and  each  one  shared  his 
stock  very  gladly  with  his  guests  from  our 
army.  They  not  only  had  plenty  to  eat 
here,  but  they  also  had  plenty  to  take  away 
with  them,  so  that  when  the  departure  came 
19 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  COKONADO 

they  started  off  with  more  than  six  hundred 
loaded  animals,  besides  the  friendly  Indians 
and  the  servants — more  than  a  thousand 
persons.  After  a  fortnight  had  passed,  the 
general  started  ahead  with  about  fifty  horse 
men  and  a  few  foot  soldiers  and  most  of  the 
Indian  allies,  leaving  the  army,  which  was 
to  follow  him  a  fortnight  later,  with  Don 
Tristan  de  Arellano  in  command  as  his  lieu 
tenant. 

At  this  time,  before  his  departure,  a  pretty 
sort  of  thing  happened  to  the  general,  which 
I  will  tell  for  what  it  is  worth.  A  young 
soldier  named  Trugillo  (Truxillo)  pretended 
that  he  had  seen  a  vision  while  he  was  bath 
ing  in  the  river.  Feigning  that  he  did  not 
want  to,  he  was  brought  before  the  general, 
whom  he  gave  to  understand  that  the  devil 
had  told  him  that  if  he  would  kill  the  gen 
eral,  he  could  marry  his  wife,  Dona  Beatris, 
and  would  receive  great  wealth  and  other 
very  fine  things.  Friar  Marcos  of  Nice 
preached  several  sermons  on  this,  laying  it 
all  to  the  fact  that  the  devil  was  jealous  of 
the  good  which  must  result  from  this  jour 
ney  and  so  wished  to  break  it  up  in  this 
way.  It  did  not  end  here,  but  the  friars 
who  were  in  the  expedition  wrote  to  their 
convents  about  it,  and  this  was  the  reason 
the  pulpits  of  Mexico  proclaimed  strange 
rumors  about  this  affair. 

The  general  ordered  Truxillo  to  stay  in 
that  town  and  not  to  go  on  the  expedition, 
which  was  what  he  was  after  when  he  made 
20 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

up  that  falsehood,  judging  from  what  after 
ward  appeared  to  be  the  truth.  The  general 
started  off  with  the  force  already  described 
to  continue  his  journey,  and  the  army  fol 
lowed  him,  as  will  be  related. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Of  how  the  army  started  from  Culiacan  and  the 
arrival  of  the  general  at  Cibola  and  of  the  arm}r  at 
Senora  and  of  other  things  that  happened. 

THE  general,  as  has  been  said,  started  to 
continue  his  journey  from  the  valley  of  Cu 
liacan  somewhat  lightly  equipped,  taking 
with  him  the  friars,  since  none  of  them 
wished  to  stay  behind  with  the  army.  After 
they  had  gone  three  days,  a  regular  friar  who 
could  say  mass,  named  Friar  Antonio  Vic 
toria,  broke  his  leg,  and  they  brought  him 
back  from  the  camp  to  have  it  doctored.  He 
stayed  with  the  army  after  this,  which  was 
no  slight  consolation  for  all.  The  general 
and  his  force  crossed  the  country  without 
trouble,  as  they  found  everything  peaceful, 
because  the  Indians  knew  Friar  Marcos  and 
some  of  the  others  who  had  been  with  Mel- 
chior  Diaz  when  he  went  with  Juan  de  Sal- 
dibar  to  investigate. 

After  the  general  had  crossed  the  inhab 
ited  region  and  came  to  Chiehilticalli,  where 
the  wilderness  begins,  and  saw  nothing  favor 
able,  he  could  not  help  feeling  somewhat 
downhearted,  for,  although  the  reports  were 
21 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

very  fine  about  what  was  ahead,  there  was 
nobody  who  had  seen  it  except  the  Indians 
who  went  with  the  negro,  and  these  had 
already  been  caught  in  some  lies.  Besides 
all  this,  he  was  much  affected  by  seeing  that 
the  fame  of  Chichilticalli  was  summed  up  in 
one  tumble-down  house  without  any  roof, 
although  it  appeared  to  have  been  a  strong 
place  at  some  former  time  when  it  was  in 
habited,  and  it  was  very  plain  that  it  had 
been  built  by  a  civilized  and  warlike  race  of 
strangers  who  had  come  from  a  distance. 
This  building  was  made  of  red  earth.  From 
here  they  went  on  through  the  wilderness, 
and  in  fifteen  days  came  to  a  river  about 
8  leagues  from  Cibola,  which  they  called 
Red  River,1  because  its  waters  were  muddy 
and  reddish.  In  this  river  they  found  mul 
lets  like  those  of  Spain.  The  first  Indians 
from  that  country  were  seen  here — two  of 
them,  who  ran  away  to  give  the  news.  Dur 
ing  the  night  following  the  next  day,  about 
2  leagues  from  the  village,  some  Indians 
in  a  safe  place  yelled  so  that,  although  the 
men  were  ready  for  anything,  some  were  so 
excited  that  they  put  their  saddles  on  hind- 
side  before ;  but  these  were  the  new  fellows. 
When  the  veterans  had  mounted  and  ridden 
round  the  camp,  the  Indians  fled.  None  of 
them  could  be  caught  because  they  knew  the 
country. 

1  Bandelier,  in  his  Gilded  Man,  identifies  this  with 
Zuni  river.  The  Rio  Vermejo  of  Jaramillo  is  the 
Little  Colorado  or  Colorado  Chiquito. 

22 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

The  next  day  they  entered  the  settled 
country  in  good  order,  and  when  they  saw 
the  first  village,  which  was  Cibola,  such 
were  the  curses  that  some  hurled  at  Friar 
Marcos  that  I  pray  God  may  protect  him 
from  them. 

It  is  a  little,  crowded  village,  looking  as 
if  it  had  been  crumpled  all  up  together. 
There  are  ranch  houses  in  New  Spain  which 
make  a  better  appearance  at  a  distance.1  It 
is  a  village  of  about  200  warriors,  is  three 
and  four  stories  high,  with  the  houses  small 
and  having  only  a  few  rooms,  and  without 
a  courtyard.  One  yard  serves  for  each  sec 
tion.  The  people  of  the  whole  district  had 
collected  here,  for  there  are  seven  villages 
in  the  province,  and  some  of  the  others 
are  even  larger  and  stronger  than  Cibola. 
These  folks  waited  for  the  army,  drawn  up 
by  divisions  in  front  of  the  village.  When 
they  refused  to  have  peace  on  the  terms 
the  interpreters  extended  to  them,  but 


'Mota  Padilla,  p.  113:  "They  reached  Tzibola. 
which  was  a  village  divided  into  two  parts,  which 
were  encircled  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  village 
round,  and  the  houses  adjoining  three  and  four 
stories  high,  with  doors  opening  on  a  great  court  or 
plaza,  leaving  one  or  two  doors  in  the  wall,  so  as  to 
go  in  and  out.  In  the  middle  of  the  plaza  there  is  a 
hatchway  or  trapdoor,  by  which  they  go  down  to  a 
subterranean  hall,  the  roof  of  which  was  of  large 
pine  beams,  and  a  little  hearth  in  the  floor,  and  the 
walls  plastered.  The  Indian  men  stayed  there  days 
and  nights  playing  (or  gaming)  and  the  women 
brought  them  food ;  and  this  was  the  way  the  In 
dians  of  the  neighboring  villages  lived." 
23 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

appeared  defiant,  the  Santiago '  was  given, 
and  they  were  at  once  put  to  flight.  The 
Spaniards  then  attacked  the  village,  which 
was  taken  with  not  a  little  difficulty,  since 
they  held  the  narrow  and  crooked  entrance. 
During  the  attack  they  knocked  the  general 
down  with  a  large  stone,  and  would  have 
killed  him  but  for  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Car 
denas  and  Hernando  de  Alvarado,  who  threw 
themselves  above  him  and  drew  him  away, 
receiving  the  blows  of  the  stones,  which 
were  not  few.  But  the  first  fury  of  the 
Spaniards  could  not  be  resisted,  and  in  less 
than  an  hour  they  entered  the  village  and 
captured  it.  They  discovered  food  there, 
which  was  the  thing  they  were  most  in  need 
of.2  After  this  the  whole  province  was  at 
peace. 

The  army  which  had  stayed  with  Don 
Tristan  de  Arellano  started  to  follow  their 
general,  all  loaded  with  provisions,  with 
lances  on  their  shoulders,  and  all  on  foot,  so 
as  to  have  the  horses  loaded.  With  no 
slight  labor  from  day  to  day,  they  reached  a 
province  which  Cabeza  de  Vaca  had  named 
Hearts  (Corazones),  because  the  people  here 
offered  him  many  hearts  of  animals.  He 
founded  a  town  here  and  named  it  San 

1  The  war  cry  or  "  loud  invocation  addressed  to 
Saint  James  before  engaging  in  battle  with  the  In- 
tidels." — Captain  John  Stevens'  Dictionary. 

2  Compare  the  translation  of  the  Traslado  de  las 
Nuevas  herein.     There  are    some  striking  resem 
blances  between  that  account  and  Castaneda's  nar 
rative. 

24 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Hieronimo  de  los  Corazones  (Saint  Jerome 
of  the  Hearts).  After  it  had  been  started, 
it  was  seen  that  it  could  not  be  kept  up  here, 
and  so  it  was  afterward  transferred  to  a  val 
ley  which  had  been  called  Senora.1  The 
Spaniards  call  it  Senora ,  and  so  it  will  be 
known  by  this  name. 

From  here  a  force  went  down  the  river  to 
the  seacoast  to  rind  the  harbor  and  to  find 
out  about  the  ships.  Don  Eodrigo  Maldo- 
nado,  who  was  captain  of  those  who  went  in 
search  of  the  ships,  did  not  find  them,  but 
he  brought  back  with  him  an  Indian  so  large 
and  tall  that  the  best  man  in  the  army 
reached  only  to  his  chest.  It  was  said  that 
other  Indians  were  even  taller  on  that  coast. 
After  the  rains  ceased  the  army  went  on  to 
where  the  town  of  Senora  was  afterward  lo 
cated,  because  there  were  provisions  in  that 
region,  so  that  they  were  able  to  wait  there 
for  orders  from  the  general. 

About  the  middle  of  the  month  of  Octo 
ber  2  Captains  Melchior  Diaz  and  Juan  Gal- 
lego  came  from  Cibola,  Juan  Gallego  on  his 
way  to  New  Spain  and  Melchior  Diaz  to 
stay  in  the  new  town  of  Hearts,  in  command 
of  the  men  who  remained  there.  He  was  to 
go  along  the  coast  in  search  of  the  ships. 

1  The  persistent  use  of  the  form  Seficra,  Madame, 
for  the  place  Sonora,  may  be  due  to  the  copyists. 

2  This  should  be  September. 


25 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 


CHAPTER  X 

Of  how  the  army  started  from  the  town  of  Sefiora, 
leaving  it  inhabited,  and  how  it  reached  Cibola,  and 
of  what  happened  to  Captain  Melchior  Diaz  on  his 
expedition  in  search  of  the  ships  and  how  he  dis 
covered  the  Tison  (Firebrand)  river. 

AFTER  Melchior  Diaz  and  Juan  Gallego 
had  arrived  in  the  town  of  Seiiora,  it  was 
announced  that  the  army  was  to  depart  for 
Cibola;  that  Melchior  Diaz  was  to  remain 
in  charge  of  that  town  with  80  men;  that 
Juan  Gallego  was  going  to  New  Spain  with 
messages  for  the  viceroy,  and  that  Friar 
Marcos  was  going  back  with  him,  because 
he  did  not  think  it  was  safe  for  him  to 
stay  in  Cibola,  seeing  that  his  report  had 
turned  out  to  be  entirely  false,  because  the 
kingdoms  that  he  had  told  about  had  not 
been  found,  nor  the  populous  cities,  nor  the 
wealth  of  gold,  nor  the  precious  stones 
which  he  had  reported,  nor  the  fine  clothes, 
nor  other  things  that  had  been  proclaimed 
from  the  pulpits.  When  this  had  been  an 
nounced,  those  who  were  to  remain  were 
selected  and  the  rest  loaded  their  provisions 
and  set  off  in  good  order  about  the  middle  of 
September  on  the  way  to  Cibola  following 
their  general. 

Don  Tristan  de  Arellano  stayed  in  this 
new  town  with  the  weakest  men,  and  from 
this  time  on  there  was  nothing  but  mutinies 
26 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

and  strife,  because  after  the  army  had  gone 
Captain  Melchior  Diaz  took  25  of  the  most 
efficient  men,  leaving  in  his  place  one  Diego 
de  Alcaraz,  a  man  unfitted  to  have  people 
under  his  command.  He  took  guides  and 
went  toward  the  north  and  west  in  search 
of  the  seacoast.  After  going  about  150 
leagues,  they  came  to  a  province  of  ex 
ceedingly  tall  and  strong  men — like  giants. 
They  are  naked  and  live  in  large  straw 
cabins  built  underground  like  smoke  houses, 
with  only  the  straw  roof  above  ground. 
They  enter  these  at  one  end  and  come  out 
at  the  other.  More  than  a  hundred  per 
sons,  old  and  young,  sleep  in  one  cabin. 
When  they  carry  anything,  they  can  take  a 
load  of  more  than  three  or  four  hundred 
weight  on  their  heads.  Once  when  our  men 
wished  to  fetch  a  log  for  the  fire,  and  six 
men  were  unable  to  carry  it,  one  of  these 
Indians  is  reported  to  have  come  and  raised 
it  in  his  arms,  put  it  on  his  head  alone,  and 
carried  it  very  easily.1  They  eat  bread 
cooked  in  the  ashes,  as  big  as  the  large  two- 
pound  loaves  of  Castile.  On  account  of  the 
great  cold,  they  carry  a  firebrand  (tison)  in 

'Fletcher,  in  The  World  Encompassed  by  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  p.  131  (ed.  1854)  tells  a  similar  story 
of  some  Indians  whom  Drake  visited  on  the  coast  of 
California :  "  Yet  are  the  men  commonly  so  strong  of 
body,  that  that  which  2  or  3  of  our  men  could  hard 
ly  beare,  one  of  them  would  take  vpon  his  backe, 
and  without  grudging,  carrie  it  easily  away,  vp  hill 
and  downe  hill  an  English  mile  together."  Mota 
Padilla,  cap.  xxxii.,  p.  158,  describes  an  attempt  to 
catch  one  of  these  Indians. 
27 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  COROXADO 

the  hand  when  they  go  from  one  place  to 
another,  with  which  they  warm  the  other 
hand  and  the  body  as  well,  and  in  this  way 
they  keep  shifting  it  every  now  and  then.1 
On  this  account  the  large  river  which  is 
in  that  country  was  called  Eio  del  Tison 
(Firebrand  River).  It  is  a  very  great  river 
and  is  more  than  2  leagues  wide  at  its 
mouth;  here  it  is  half  a  league  across. 
Here  the  captain  heard  that  there  had  been 
ships  at  a  point  three  days  down  toward  the 
sea.  When  he  reached  the  place  where  the 
ships  had  been,  which  was  more  than  15 
leagues  up  the  river  from  the  mouth  of  the 
harbor,  they  found  written  on  a  tree :  "  Alar- 
con  reached  this  place ;  there  are  letters  at 
the  foot  of  this  tree."  He  dug  up  the  letters 
and  learned  from  them  how  long  Alarcon 
had  waited  for  news  of  the  army  and  that 
he  had  gone  back  with  the  ships  to  New 
Spain,  because  he  was  unable  to  proceed 
farther,  since  this  sea  was  a  bay,  which  was 
formed  by  the  Isle  of  the  Marquis,2  which  is 
called  California,  and  it  was  explained  that 
California  was  not  an  island,  but  a  point  of 
the  mainland  forming  the  other  side  of  that 
gulf. 

After  he  had  seen  this,  the  captain  turned 
back  to  go  up  the  river,  without  going  down 
to  the  sea  to  find  a  ford  by  which  to  cross 

1  Father  Sedelmair,  in  his  Relacion,  mentions  this 
custom  of  the  Indians.     (See  Bandelier,  Final  Re 
port,  vol.  i.,  p.  108.) 

2  Cortes. 

28 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

to  the  other  side,  so  as  to  follow  the  other 
bank.  After  they  had  gone  five  or  six  days, 
it  seemed  to  them  as  if  they  could  cross  on 
rafts.  For  this  purpose  they  called  together 
a  large  number  of  the  natives,  who  were 
waiting  for  a  favorable  opportunity  to  make 
an  attack  on  our  men,  and  whe"n  they  saw 
that  the  strangers  wanted  to  cross,  they 
helped  make  the  rafts  with  all  zeal  and  dili 
gence,  so  as  to  catch  them  in  this  way  on 
the  water  and  drown  them  or  else  so  divide 
them  that  they  could  not  help  one  another. 
While  the  rafts  were  being  made,  a  soldier 
who  had  been  out  around  the  camp  saw  a 
large  number  of  armed  men  go  across  to  a 
mountain,  where  they  were  waiting  till  the 
soldiers  should  cross  the  river.  He  reported 
this,  and  an  Indian  was  quietly  shut  up,  in 
order  to  find  out  the  truth,  and  when  they 
tortured  him  he  told  all  the  arrangements 
that  had  been  made.  These  were,  that 
when  our  men  were  crossing  and  part  of 
them  had  got  over  and  part  were  on  the 
river  and  part  were  waiting  to  cross,  those 
who  were  on  the  rafts  should  drown  those 
they  were  taking  across  and  the  rest  of  their 
force  should  make  an  attack  on  both  sides  of 
the  river.  If  they  had  had  as  much  discre 
tion  and  courage  as  they  had  strength  and 
power,  the  attempt  would  have  succeeded. 

When  he  knew  their  plan,  the  captain  had 

the  Indian  who  had  confessed  the  affair  killed 

secretly,  and  that  night  he  was  thrown  into 

the  river  with  a  weight,  so  that  the  Indians 

29 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

would  not  suspect  that  they  were  found  out. 
The  next  day  they  noticed  that  our  men  sus 
pected  them,  and  so  they  made  an  attack, 
shooting  showers  of  arrows,  but  when  the 
horses  began  to  catch  up  with  them  and  the 
lances  wounded  them  without  mercy  and 
the  musketeers  likewise  made  good  shots, 
they  had  to  leave  the  plain  and  take  to  the 
mountain,  until  not  a  man  of  them  was  to 
be  seen.  The  force  then  came  back  and 
crossed  all  right,  the  Indian  allies  and  the 
Spaniards  going  across  on  the  rafts  and  the 
horses  swimming  alongside  the  rafts,  where 
we  will  leave  them  to  continue  their  jour 
ney. 

To  relate  how  the  army  that  was  on  its 
way  to  Cibola  got  on :  Everything  went 
along  in  good  shape,  since  the  general  had 
left  everything  peaceful,  because  he  wished 
the  people  in  that  region  to  be  contented  and 
without  fear  and  willing  to  do  what  they 
were  ordered.  In  a  province  called  Vacapan 
there  was  a  large  quantity  of  prickly  pears, 
of  which  the  natives  make  a  great  deal  of 
preserves.1  They  gave  this  preserve  away 
freely,  and  as  the  men  of  the  army  ate  much 
of  it,  they  all  fell  sick  with  a  headache  and 
fever,  so  that  the  natives  might  have  done 
much  harm  to  the  force  if  they  had  wished. 
This  lasted  regularly  twenty-four  hours. 
After  this  they  continued  their  march  until 

1  The  Zunis  make  a  similar  sort  of  preserves  from 
the  fruit  of  the  tuna  and  the  yucca.     See  Gushing  in 
The  Millstone,  Indianapolis,  July,  1884,  pp.  108-109. 
30 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

they  reached  Chichilticalli.  The  men  in 
the  advance  guard  saw  a  flock  of  sheep  one 
day  after  leaving  this  place.  I  myself  saw 
and  followed  them.  They  had  extremely 
large  bodies  and  long  wool;  their  horns 
were  very  thick  and  large,  and  when  they 
run  they  throw  back  their  heads  and  put 
their  horns  on  the  ridge  of  their  back. 
They  are  used  to  the  rough  country,  so  that 
we  could  not  catch  them  and  had  to  leave 
them. 

Three  days  after  we  entered  the  wilderness 
we  found  a  horn  on  the  bank  of  a  river  that 
flows  in  the  bottom  of  a  very  steep,  deep 
gully,  which  the  general  had  noticed  and 
left  there  for  his  army  to  see,  for  it  was  six 
feet  long  and  as  thick  at  the  base  as  a  man's 
thigh.  It  seemed  to  be  more  like  the  horn 
of  a  goat  than  of  any  other  animal.  It  was 
something  worth  seeing.  The  army  pro 
ceeded  and  was  about  a  day's  march  from 
Cibola  when  a  very  cold  tornado  came  up  in 
the  afternoon,  followed  by  a  great  fall  of 
snow,  which  was  a  bad  combination  for  the 
carriers.  The  army  went  on  till  it  reached 
some  caves  in  a  rocky  ridge,  late  in  the  even 
ing.  The  Indian  allies,  who  were  from  New 
Spain,  and  for  the  most  part  from  warm 
countries,  were  in  great  danger.  They  felt 
the  coldness  of  that  day  so  much  that  it  was 
hard  work  the  next  day  taking  care  of  them, 
for  they  suffered  much  pain  and  had  to  be 
carried  on  the  horses,  the  soldiers  walking. 
After  this  labor  the  army  reached  Cibola, 
31 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

where  their  general  was  waiting  for  them, 
with  their  quarters  all  ready,  and  here  they 
were  reunited,  except  some  captains  and 
men  who  had  gone  oft'  to  discover  other  prov 
inces. 

CHAPTER  XI 

How  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar  discovered  Tusayan  or 
Ttitahaco J  and  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  saw 
the  Firebrand  river  and  the  other  things  that  had 
happened. 

WHILE  the  things  already  described  were 
taking  place,  Cibola  being  at  peace,  the  Gen 
eral  Francisco  Vazquez  found  out  from  the 
people  of  the  province  about  the  provinces 
that  lay  around  it,  and  got  them  to  tell  their 
friends  and  neighbors  that  Christians  had 
come  into  the  country,  whose  only  desire 
was  to  be  their  friends,  and  to  find  out  about 
good  lands  to  live  in,  and  for  them  to  come 
to  see  the  strangers  and  talk  with  them. 
They  did  this,  since  they  know  how  to  com 
municate  with  one  another  in  these  regions, 
and  they  informed  him  about  a  province 
with  seven  villages  of  the  same  sort  as 
theirs,  although  somewhat  different.  They 
had  nothing  to  do  with  these  people.  This 
province  is  called  Tusayan.  It  is  twenty- 
five  leagues  from  Cibola.  The  villages  are 
high  and  the  people  are  warlike. 

The  general  had  sent  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar 

1  Compare  chapter  13.  These  two  groups  of  pue 
blos  were  not  the  same. 

32 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

to  these  villages  with  seventeen  horsemen 
and  three  or  four  foot  soldiers.  Juan  cle 
Padilla,  a  Franciscan  friar,  who  had  been  a 
fighting  man  in  his  youth,  went  with  them. 
When  they  reached  the  region,  they  entered 
the  country  so  quietly  that  nobody  observed 
them,  because  there  were  no  settlements  or 
farms  between  one  village  and  another  and 
the  people  do  not  leave  the  villages  except 
to  go  to  their  farms,  especially  at  this  time, 
when  they  had  heard  that  Cibola  had  been 
captured  by  very  fierce  people,  who  travelled 
on  animals  which  ate  people.  This  infor 
mation  was  generally  believed  by  those  who 
had  never  seen  horses,  although  it  was  so 
strange  as  to  cause  much  wonder.  Our  men 
arrived  after  nightfall  and  were  able  to  con 
ceal  themselves  under  the  edge  of  the  village, 
where  they  heard  the  natives  talking  in 
their  houses.  But  in  the  morning  they  were 
discovered  and  drew  up  in  regular  order, 
while  the  natives  came  out  to  meet  them, 
with  bows,  and  shields,  and  wooden  clubs, 
drawn  up  in  lines  without  any  confusion. 
The  interpreter  was  given  a  chance  to  speak 
to  them  and  give  them  due  warning,  for  they 
were  very  intelligent  people,  but  nevertheless 
they  drew  lines  and  insisted  that  our  men 
should  not  go  across  these  lines  toward  their 
village.1 

1  Compare  the  lines  which  the  Hopi  or  Moqui  In 
dians  still  mark  with  sacred  meal  during  their  festi 
vals,  as  described  by  Dr.  Fewkes  in  his  "Few  Sum 
mer  Ceremonials,"  in  vol.  ii.  of  the  Journal  of 
American  Ethnology  and  Archaeology. 
33 


THE  JOURNEY   OF*  CORONADO 

While  they  were  talking,  some  men  acted 
as  if  they  would  cross  the  lines,  and  one  of 
the  natives  lost  control  of  himself  and  struck 
a  horse  a  blow  on  the  cheek  of  the  bridle 
with  his  club.  Friar  Juan,  fretted  by  the 
time  that  was  being  wasted  in  talking  with 
them,  said  to  the  captain:  "To  tell  the 
truth,  I  do  not  know  why  we  came  here." 
When  the  men  heard  this,  they  gave  the 
Santiago  so  suddenly  that  they  ran  down 
many  Indians  and  the  others  fled  to  the 
town  in  confusion.  Some  indeed  did  not 
have  a  chance  to  do  this,  so  quickly  did  the 
people  in  the  village  come  out  with  presents, 
asking  for  peace.  The  captain  ordered  his 
force  to  collect,  and,  as  the  natives  did  not 
do  any  more  harm,  he  and  those  who  were 
with  him  found  a  place  to  establish  their 
headquarters  near  the  village.  They  had 
dismounted  here  when  the  natives  came 
peacefully,  saying  that  they  had  come  to 
give  in  the  submission  of  the  whole  province 
and  that  they  wanted  him  to  be  friends  with 
them  and  to  accept  the  presents  which  they 
gave  him.  This  was  some  cotton  cloth, 
although  not  much,  because  they  do  not 
make  it  in  that  district.  They  also  gave 
him  some  dressed  skins  and  corn  meal, 
and  pine  nuts  and  corn  and  birds  of 
the  country.  Afterward  they  presented 
some  turquoises,  but  not  many.  The 
people  of  the  whole  district  came  to 
gether  that  day  and  submitted  themselves, 
and  they  allowed  him  to  enter  their  vil- 
34 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  COKONADO 

lages  freely  to  visit,  buy,  sell,  and  barter 
with  them. 

It  is  governed  like  Cibola,  by  an  assembly 
of  the  oldest  men.  They  have  their  gover 
nors  and  generals.  This  was  where  they 
obtained  the  information  about  a  large  river, 
and  that  several  days  down  the  river  there 
were  some  people  with  very  large  bodies. 

As  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar  was  not  commis 
sioned  to  go  farther,  he  returned  from  there 
and  gave  this  information  to  the  general, 
who  dispatched  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Carde 
nas  with  about  twelve  companions  to  go  to 
see  this  river.  He  was  well  received  when 
he  reached  Tusayan  and  was  entertained  by 
the  natives,  who  gave  him  guides  for.  his 
journey.  They  started  from  here  loaded 
with  provisions,  for  they  had  to  go  through 
a  desert  country  before  reaching  the  inhab 
ited  region,  which  the  Indians  said  was  more 
than  twenty  days'  journey.  After  they  had 
gone  twenty  days  they  came  to  the  banks 
of  the  river.  It  seemed  to  be  more  than  3 
or  4  leagues  in  an  air  line  across  to  the 
other  bank  of  the  stream  which  flowed  be 
tween  them. 

This  country  was  elevated  and  full  of  low 
twisted  pines,  very  cold,  and  lying  open  tow 
ard  the  north,  so  that,  this  being  the  warm 
season,  no  one  could  live  there  on  account 
of  the  cold.  They  spent  three  days  on  this 
bank  looking  for  a  passage  down  to  the  river, 
which  looked  from  above  as  if  the  water  was 
6  feet  across,  although  the  Indians  said  it 
35 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

was  half  a  league  wide.  It  was  impossible 
to  descend,  for  after  these  three  days  Captain 
Melgosa  and  one  Juan  Galeras  and  another 
companion,  who  were  the  three  lightest  and 
most  agile  men,  made  an  attempt  to  go  down 
at  the  least  difficult  place,  and  went  down 
until  those  who  were  above  were  unable  to 
keep  sight  of  them.  They  returned  about 
4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  not  having 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  bottom  on  account 
of  the  great  difficulties  which  they  found, 
because  what  seemed  to  be  easy  from  above 
was  not  so,  but  instead  very  hard  and  diffi 
cult.  They  said  that  they  had  been  down 
about  a  third  of  the  way  and  that  the  river 
seemed  very  large  from  the  place  which  they 
reached,  and  that  from  what  they  saw  they 
thought  the  Indians  had  given  the  width 
correctly.  Those  who  stayed  above  had 
estimated  that  some  huge  rocks  on  the  sides 
of  the  cliffs  seemed  to  be  about  as  tall  as  a 
man,  but  those  who  went  down  swore  that 
when  they  reached  these  rocks  they  were 
bigger  than  the  great  tower  of  Seville.  They 
did  not  go  farther  up  the  river,  because  they 
could  not  get  water. 

Before  this  they  had  had  to  go  a  league  or 
two  inland  every  day  late  in  the  evening  in 
order  to  find  water,  and  the  guides  said  that 
if  they  should  go  four  days  farther  it  would 
not  be  possible  to  go  on,  because  there  was 
no  water  within  three  or  four  days,  for  when 
they  travel  across  this  region  themselves 
they  take  with  them  women  loaded  with 
36 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

•water  in  gourds,  and  bury  the  gourds  of 
water  along  the  way,  to  use  when  they  re 
turn,  and  besides  this,  they  travel  in  one 
day  over  what  it  takes  us  two  days  to  ac 
complish. 

This  was  the  Tison  (Firebrand)  river, 
much  nearer  its  source  than  where  Melchior 
Diaz  and  his  company  crossed  it.  These 
were  the  same  kind  of  Indians,  judging  from 
what  was  afterward  learned.  They  came 
back  from  this  point  and  the  expedition  did 
not  have  any  other  result.  On  the  way 
they  saw  some  water  falling  over  a  rock  and 
learned  from  the  guides  that  some  bunches 
of  crystals  which  were  hanging  there  were 
salt.  They  went  and  gathered  a  quantity  of 
this  and  brought  it  back  to  Cibola,  dividing 
it  among  those  who  were  there.  They  gave 
the  general  a  written  account  of  what  they 
had  seen,  because  one  Pedro  de  Sotomayor 
had  gone  with  Don  Garcia  Lopez  as  chroni 
cler  for  the  army.  The  villages  of  that  prov 
ince  remained  peaceful,  since  they  were  never 
visited  again,  nor  was  any  attempt  made  to 
find  other  peoples  in  that  direction. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Of  how  people  came  from  Cicuye  to  Cibola  to  see 
the  Christians,  and  how  Hernando  de  Alvarado  went 
to  see  the  cows. 

WHILE  they  were  making  these  discov 
eries,  some  Indians   came    to    Cibola   from 
a   village    which   was    70    leagues   east    of 
37 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

this  province,  called  Cicuye.  Among  them 
was  a  captain  who  was  called  Bigotes 
(Whiskers)  by  our  men,  because  he  wore  a 
long  mustache.  He  was  a  tall,  well-built 
young  fellow,  with  a  fine  figure.  He  told 
the  general  that  they  had  come  in  response 
to  the  notice  which  had  been  given,  to  offer 
themselves  as  friends,  and  that  if  we  wanted 
to  go  through  their  country  they  would  con 
sider  us  as  their  friends.  They  brought  a 
present  of  tanned  hides  and  shields  and  head 
pieces,  which  were  very  gladly  received,  and 
the  general  gave  them  some  glass  dishes  and 
a  number  of  pearls  and  little  bells  which 
they  prized  highly,  because  these  were  things 
they  had  never  seen.  They  described  some 
cows  which,  from  a  picture  that  one  of  them 
had  painted  on  his  skin,  seemed  to  be  cows, 
although  from  the  hides  this  did  not  seem 
possible,  because  the  hair  was  woolly  and 
snarled  so  that  we  could  not  tell  what  sort 
of  skins  they  had.  The  general  ordered 
Hernando  de  Alvarado  to  take  20  compan 
ions  and  go  with  them,  and  gave  him  a 
commission  for  eighty  days,  after  which  he 
should  return  to  give  an  account  of  what  he 
had  found.1 

Captain  Alvarado  started  on  this  journey 
and  in  five  days  reached  a  village  which  was 
on  a  rock  called  Acuco,2  having  a  popu- 

1  The  report  of  Alvarado  is  probably  the  official 
account  of  what  he  accomplished. 

>2In  regard  to  the  famous  rock  fortress  of  Acoma 
see  Bandelier's  Introduction,  p.  14,  and  his  Final 

38 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

lation  of  about  200  men.  These  people 
were  robbers,  feared  by  the  whole  country 
round  about.  The  village  was  very  strong, 
because  it  was  up  011  a  rock  out  of  reach, 
having  steep  sides  in  every  direction,  and  so 
high  that  it  was  a  very  good  musket  that 
could  throw  a  ball  as  high.  There  was  only 
one  entrance  by  a  stairway  built  by  hand, 
which  began  at  the  top  of  a  slope  which  is 
around  the  foot  of  the  rock.  There  was  a 
broad  stairway  for  about  200  steps,  then  a 
stretch  of  about  100  narrower  steps,  and  at 
the  top  they  had  to  go  up  about  three  times 
as  high  as  a  man  by  means  of  holes  in  the 
rock,  in  which  they  put  the  points  of  their 
feet,  holding  on  at  the  same  time  by  their 
hands.  There  was  a  wall  of  large  and  small 
stones  at  the  top,  which  they  could  roll 
down  without  showing  themselves,  so  that 
no  army  could  possibly  be  strong  enough  to 
capture  the  village.  On  the  top  they  had 
room  to  sow  and  store  a  large  amount  of 
corn,  and  cisterns  to  collect  snow  and  water. 
These  people  came  down  to  the  plain  ready 
to  fight,  and  would  not  listen  to  any  argu 
ments.  They  drew  lines  on  the  ground  and 
determined  to  prevent  our  men  from  crossing 
these,  but  when  they  saw  that  they  would 
have  to  fight  they  offered  to  make  peace  be- 


Report,  vol.  i.,  p.  133.  The  Spaniards  called  it  by 
a  name  resembling  that  which  they  heard  applied  to 
it  in  Zuni-Cibola.  The  true  Zuni  name  of  Acoma, 
on  the  authority  of  Mr.  F.  W.  Hodge,  is  Hakukia; 
that  of  the  Acoma  people,  Hakukwe. 
39 


THE   JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

fore  any  harm  had  been  done.  They  went 
through  their  forms  of  making  peace,  which 
is  to  touch  the  horses  and  take  their  sweat 
and  rub  themselves  with  it,  and  to  make 
crosses  with  the  fingers  of  the  hands.  But 
to  make  the  most  secure  peace  they  put  their 
hands  across  each  other,  and  they  keep  this 
peace  inviolably.  They  made  a  present  of  a 
large  number  of  [turkey]  cocks  with  very 
big  wattles,  much  bread,  tanned  deerskins, 
pine  [pifion]  nuts,  flour  [corn  meal],  and 
corn. 

From  here  they  went  to  a  province  called 
Triguex,1  three  days  distant.  The  people  all 
came  out  peacefully,  seeing  that  Whiskers 
was  with  them.  These  men  are  feared 
throughout  all  those  provinces.  Alvarado 
sent  messengers  back  from  here  to  advise  the 
general  to  come  and  winter  in  this  country. 
The  general  was  not  a  little  relieved  to  hear 
that  the  country  was  growing  better.  Five 
days  from  here  he  came  to  Cicuye,2  a  very 
strong  village  four  stories  high.  The  people 
came  out  from  the  village  with  signs  of  joy 
to  welcome  Hernando  de  Alvarado  and  their 
captain,  and  brought  them  into  the  town 
with  drums  and  pipes  something  like  flutes, 

1  An  error  for  Tiguex,  at  or  near  the  present  Ber- 
nalillo.  Simpson  located  this  near  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Puerco,  southeast  of  Acoma,  but  I  follow 
Bandelier,  according  to  whom  Alvarado  pursued  a 
northeasterly  direction  from  Acoma.  See  his  Intro 
duction,  p.  30,  and  Final  Report,  vol.  i.,  p.  129. 

2Pecos.     Besides  his  Final  Report,  vol.  i.,  p.  127, 
see  Bandelier 's  Report  on  the  Pecos  Ruins. 
40 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

of  which  they  have  a  great  many.  They 
made  many  presents  of  cloth  and  turquoises, 
of  which  there  are  quantities  in  that  region. 
The  Spaniards  enjoyed  themselves  here  for 
several  days  and  talked  with  an  Indian  slave, 
a  native  of  the  country  toward  Florida,  which 
is  the  region  Don  Fernando  de  Soto  discov 
ered.  This  fellow  said  that  there  were  large 
settlements  in  the  farther  part  of  that  coun 
try.  Hernando  de  Alvarado  took  him  to 
guide  them  to  the  cows ;  but  he  told  them 
so  many  and  such  great  things  about  the 
wealth  of  gold  and  silver  in  his  country  that 
they  did  not  care  about  looking  for  cows, 
but  returned  after  they  had  seen  some  few, 
to  report  the  rich  news  to  the  general. 
They  called  the  Indian  "Turk,"  because  he 
looked  like  one. 

Meanwhile  the  general  had  sent  Don  Gar 
cia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  to  Tiguex  with  men 
to  get  lodgings  ready  for  the  army,  which 
had  arrived  from  Senora  about  this  time, 
before  taking  them  there  for  the  winter ;  and 
when  Hernando  de  Alvarado  reached  Tiguex, 
on  his  way  back  from  Cicuye,  he  found  Don 
Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  there,  and  so  there 
was  no  need  for  him  to  go  farther.  As  it 
was  necessary  that  the  natives  should  give 
the  Spaniards  lodging  places,  the  people  in 
one  village  had  to  abandon  it  and  go  to 
others  belonging  to  their  friends,  and  they 
took  with  them  nothing  but  themselves  and 
the  clothes  they  had  on.  Information  was 
obtained  here  about  many  towns  up  toward 
41 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

the  north,  and  I  believe  that  it  would  have 
been  much  better  to  follow  this  direction 
than  that  of  the  Turk,  who  was  the  cause  of 
all  the  misfortunes  which  followed. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Of  how  the  general  went  toward  Tutahaco  with  a 
few  men  and  left  the  army  with  Don  Tristan,  who 
took  it  to  Tiguex. 

EVERYTHING  already  related  had  happened 
when  Don  Tristan  de  Arellano  reached  Ci- 
bola  from  Senora.  Soon  after  he  arrived, 
the  general,  who  had  received  notice  of  a 
province  containing  eight  villages,  took  30 
of  the  men  who  were  most  fully  rested  and 
went  to  see  it,  going  from  there  directly  to 
Tiguex  with  the  skilled  guides  who  con 
ducted  him.  He  left  orders  for  Don  Tristan 
de  Arellano  to  proceed  to  Tiguex  by  the  di 
rect  road,  after  the  men  had  rested  twenty 
days.  On  this  journey,  between  one  day 
when  they  left  the  camping  place  and  mid 
day  of  the  third  day,  when  they  saw  some 
snow-covered  mountains,  toward  which  they 
went  in  search  of  water,  neither  the  Span 
iards  nor  the  horses  nor  the  servants  drank 
anything.  They  were  able  to  stand  it  be 
cause  of  the  severe  cold,  although  with  great 
difficulty.  In  eight  days  they  reached  Tuta 
haco,1  where  they  learned  that  there  were 

1  Coronado  probably  reached  the  Rio  Grande  near 
the  present  Isleta.     Jaramillo  applies  this  name  to 
42 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO      . 

other  towns  down  the  river.  These  people 
were  peaceful.  The  villages  are  terraced, 
like  those  at  Tiguex,  and  of  the  same  style. 
The  general  went  up  the  river  from  here, 
visiting  the  whole  province,  until  he  reached 
Tiguex,  where  he  found  Hernando  de  Alva- 
radaand  the  Turk.  He  felt  no  slight  joy  at 
such  good  news,  because  the  Turk  said  that 
in  his  country  there  was  a  river  in  the  level 
country  which  was  2  leagues  wide,  in  which 
there  were  fishes  as  big  as  horses,  and  large 
numbers  of  very  big  canoes,  with  more 
than  20  rowers  on  a  side,  and  that  they 
carried  sails,  and  that  their  lords  sat  on  the 
poop  under  awnings,  and  on  the  prow  they 
had  a  great  golden  eagle.  He  said  also  that 
the  lord  of  that  country  took  his  afternoon 
nap  under  a  great  tree  on  which  were  hung 
a  great  number  of  little  gold  bells,  which  put 
him  to  sleep  as  they  swung  in  the  air.  He 
said  also  that  everyone  had  their  ordinary 
dishes  made  of  wrought  plate,  and  the  jugs 
and  bowls  were  of  gold.  He  called  gold 
acochis.  For  the  present  he  was  believed, 
on  account  of  the  ease  with  which  he  told 
it  and  because  they  showed  him  metal  orna 
ments  and  he  recognized  them  and  said  they 
were  not  gold,  and  he  knew  gold  and  silver 
very  well  and  did  not  care  anything  about 
other  metals. 

Acoma,  and  perhaps  he  is  more  correct,  if  we  ought 
to  read  it  Tutahaio,  since  the  Tiguas  (the  inhabitants 
of  Isleta,  Sandia,  Taos,  and  Picuris  pueblos)  call 
Acoma  Tuthea-uay,  according  to  Bandelier,  Gilded 
Man,  p.  211. 

43 


TPIE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

The  general  sent  Hernando  de  Alvarado 
back  to  Cicuye  to  demand  some  gold  brace 
lets  which  this  Turk  said  they  had  taken 
from  him  at  the  time  they  captured  him. 
Alvarado  went,  and  was  received  as  a  friend 
at  the  village,  and  when  he  demanded  the 
bracelets  they  said  they  knew  nothing  at  all 
about  them,  saying  the  Turk  was  deceiving 
him  and  was  lying.  Captain  Alvarado,  see 
ing  that  there  were  no  other  means,  got  the 
Captajii  Whiskers  and  the  governor  to  come 
to  his  tent,  and  when  they  had  come  he  put 
them  in  chains.  The  villagers  prepared  to 
fight,  and  let  fly  their  arrows,  denouncing 
Hernando  de  Alvarado,  and  saying  that  he 
was  a  man  who  had  no  respect  for  peace  and 
friendship.  Hernando  de  Alvarado  started 
back  to  Tiguex,  where  the  general  kept  them 
prisoners  more  than  six  months.  This  be 
gan  the  want  of  confidence  in  the  word  of 
the  Spaniards  whenever  there  was  talk  of 
peace  from  this  time  on,  as  will  be  seen  by 
what  happened  afterward. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Of  how  the  army  went  from  Cibola  to  Tiguex  and 
what  happened  to  them  on  the  way,  on  account  of 
the  snow. 

WE  have  already  said  that  when  the  gen 
eral  started  from  Cibola,  he  left  orders  for 
Don  Tristan  de  Arellano  to  start  twenty  days 
later.     He  did  so  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  the, 
44 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONA DO 

men  were  well  rested  and  provided  with  food 
and  eager  to  start  off  to  find  their  general. 
He  set  off  with  his  force  toward  Tiguex,  and 
the  first  day  they  made  their  camp  in  the 
best,  largest,  and  finest  village  of  that  (Cibola) 
province.1  This  is  the  only  village  that  has 
houses  with  seven  stories.  In  this  village 
certain  houses  are  used  as  fortresses;  they 
are  higher  than  the  others  and  set  up  above 
them  like  towers,  and  there  are  embrasures 
and  loopholes  in  them  for  defending  the  roofs 
of  the  different  stories,  because,  like  the  other 
villages,  they  do  not  have  streets,  and  the 
flat  roofs  are  all  of  a  height  and  are  used  in 
common.  The  roofs  have  to  be  reached  first, 
and  these  upper  houses  are  the  means  of  de 
fending  them.  It  began  to  snow  on  us  there, 
and  the  force  took  refuge  under  the  wings  of 
the  village,  which  extend  out  like  balconies, 
with  wooden  pillars  beneath,  because  they 
generally  use  ladders  to  go  up  to  those  bal 
conies,  since  they  do  not  have  any  doors 
below. 

The  army  continued  its  march  from  here 
after  it  stopped  snowing,  and  as  the  season 
had  already  advanced  into  December,  during 
the  ten  days  that  the  army  was  delayed,  it 
did  not  fail  to  snow  during  the  evenings  and 
nearly  every  night,  so  that  they  had  to  clear 
away  a  large  amount  of  snow  when  they 
came  to  where  they  wanted  to  make  a  camp. 

1  This  was  Matsaki,  at  the  northwestern  base  of 
Thunder  mountain,  about  18  miles  from  Hawikuh, 
where  the  advance  force  had  encamped. 
45 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

The  road  could  not  be  seen,  but  the  guides 
managed  to  find  it,  as  they  knew  the  coun 
try.  There  are  junipers  and  pines  all  over 
the  country,  which  they  used  in  making 
large  brushwood  fires,  the  smoke  and  heat  of 
which  melted  the  snow  from  2  to  4  yards 
all  around  the  fire.  It  was  a  dry  snow, 
so  that  although  it  fell  on  the  baggage  and 
covered  it  for  half  a  man's  height  it  did 
not  hurt  it.  It  fell  all  night  long,  covering 
the  baggage  and  the  soldiers  and  their  beds, 
piling  up  in  the  air,  so  that  if  any  one  had 
suddenly  come  upon  the  army  nothing 
would  have  been  seen  but  mountains  of 
snow.  The  horses  stood  half  buried  in  it. 
It  kept  those  who  were  underneath  warm 
instead  of  cold.  The  army  passed  by  the 
great  rock  of  Acuco,  and  the  natives,  who 
were  peaceful,  entertained  our  men  well,  giv 
ing  them  provisions  and  birds,  although 
there  are  not  many  people  here,  as  I  have 
said.  Many  of  the  gentlemen  went  up  to 
the  top  to  see  it,  and  they  had  great  difficulty 
in  going  up  the  steps  in  the  rock,  because 
they  were  not  used  to  them,  for  the  natives 
go  up  and  down  so  easily  that  they  carry 
loads  and  the  women  carry  water,  and  they 
do  not  seem  even  to  touch  their  hands,  al 
though  our  men  had  to  pass  their  weapons 
up  from  one  to  another. 

From  here  they  went  on  to  Tiguex,  where 

they  were  well  received  and  taken  care  of, 

and  the  great  good  news  of  the  Turk  gave 

no  little  joy  and  helped  lighten  their  hard 

46 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

labors,  although  when  the  army  arrived  we 
found  the  whole  country  or  province  in  re 
volt,  for  reasons  which  were  not  slight  in 
themselves,  as  will  be  shown,  and  our  men 
had  also  burnt  a  village  the  day  before  the 
army  arrived,  and  returned  to  the  camp. 


CHAPTER  XV 

Of  why  Tiguex  revolted,  and  how  they  were  pun 
ished,  without  being  to  blame  for  it. 

IT  has  been  related  how  the  general 
reached  Tiguex,  where  he  found  Don  Garcia 
Lopez  de  Cardenas  and  Hernando  de  Alva- 
rado,  and  how  he  sent  the  latter  back  to 
Cicuye,  where  he  took  the  Captain  Whiskers 
and  the  governor  of  the  village,  who  was  an 
old  man,  prisoners.  The  people  of  Tiguex 
did  not  feel  well  about  this  seizure. 

In  addition  to  this,  the  general  wished  to 
obtain  some  clothing  to  divide  among  his 
soldiers,  and  for  this  purpose  he  summoned 
one  of  the  chief  Indians  of  Tiguex,  with 
whom  he  had  already  had  much  intercourse 
and  with  whom  he  was  on  good  terms,  who 
was  called  Juan  Aleman  by  our  men,  after  a 
Juan  gentleman  who  lived  in  Mexico,  whom 
he  was  said  to  resemble.  The  general  told 
him  that  he  must  furnish  about  three  hun 
dred  or  more  pieces  of  cloth,  which  he  needed 
to  give  his  people.  He  said  that  he  was  not 
able  to  do  this,  but  that  it  pertained  to  the 
governors ;  and  that  besides  this,  they  would 
47 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

have  to  consult  together  and  divide  it  among 
the  villages,  and  that  it  was  necessary  to 
make  the  demand  of  each  town  separately. 
The  general  did  this,  and  ordered  certain  of 
the  gentlemen  who  were  with  him  to  go  and 
make  the  demand ;  and  as  there  were  twelve 
villages,  some  of  them  went  on  one  side  of 
the  river  and  some  on  the  other.  As  they 
were  in  very  great  need,  they  did  not  give 
the  natives  a  chance  to  consult  about  it,  but 
when  they  came  to  a  village  they  demanded 
what  they  had  to  give,  so  that  they  could 
proceed  at  once.  Thus  these  people  could 
do  nothing  except  take  off  their  own  cloaks 
and  give  them  to  make  up  the  number  de 
manded  of  them.  And  some  of  the  soldiers 
who  were  in  these  parties,  when  the  collec 
tors  gave  them  some  blankets  or  cloaks  which 
were  not  such  as  they  wanted,  if  they  saw 
any  Indian  with  a  better  one  on,  they  ex 
changed  with  him  without  more  ado,  not 
stopping  to  find  out  the  rank  of  the  man 
they  were  stripping,  which  caused  not  a  lit 
tle  hard  feeling. 

Besides  what  I  have  just  said,  one  whom 
I  will  not  name,  out  of  regard  for  him,  left 
the  village  where  the  camp  was  and  went  to 
another  village  about  a  league  distant,  and 
seeing  a  pretty  woman  there  he  called  her 
husband  down  to  hold  his  horse  by  the  bri 
dle  while  he  went  up;  and  as  the  village 
was  entered  by  the  upper  story,  the  Indian 
supposed  he  was  going  to  some  other  part  of 
it.  While  he  was  there  the  Indian  heard 
48 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

some  slight  noise,  and  then  the  Spaniard 
came  down,  took  his  horse,  and  went  away. 
The  Indian  went  up  and  learned  that  he  had 
violated,  or  tried  to  violate,  his  wife,  and  so 
he  came  with  the  important  men  of  the  town 
to  complain  that  a  man  had  violated  his 
wife,  and  he  told  how  it  happened.  When 
the  general  made  all  the  soldiers  and  the 
persons  who  were  with  him  come  together, 
the  Indian  did  not  recognize  the  man,  either 
because  he  had  changed  his  clothes  or  for 
whatever  other  reason  there  may  have  been, 
but  he  said  that  he  could  tell  the  horse,  be 
cause  he  had  held  his  bridle,  and  so  he  was 
taken  to  the  stables,  and  found  the  horse, 
and  said  that  the  master  of  the  horse  must 
be  the  man.  He  denied  doing  it,  seeing 
that  he  had  not  been  recognized,  and  it  may 
be  that  the  Indian  was  mistaken  in  the 
horse ;  anyway,  he  went  off  without  getting 
any  satisfaction.1  The  next  day  one  of  the 
Indians,  who  was  guarding  the  horses  of  the 
army,  came  running  in,  saying  that  a  com 
panion  of  his  had  been  killed,  and  that  the 
Indians  of  the  country  were  driving  off  the 
horses  toward  their  villages.  The  Spaniards 
tried  to  collect  the  horses  again,  but  many 
were  lost,  besides  seven  of  the  general's 
mules. 

The  next  day  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Car 
denas  went  to  see  the  villages  and  talk  with 

1  The  instructions  which  Mendoza  gave  to  Alarcon 
show   how   carefully   the    viceroy   tried   to    guard 
against  any  such  trouble  with  the  natives. 
49 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

the  natives.  He  found  the  villages  closed 
by  palisades  and  a  great  noise  inside,  the 
horses  being  chased  as  in  a  bull  fight  and  shot 
with  arrows.  They  were  all  ready  for  fight 
ing.  Nothing  could  be  done,  because  they 
would  not  come  down  on  to  the  plain  and 
the  villages  are  so  strong  that  the  Spaniards 
could  not  dislodge  them.  The  general  then 
ordered  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  to 
go  and  surround  one  village  with  all  the  rest 
of  the  force.  This  village  was  the  one  where 
the  greatest  injury  had  been  done  and  where 
the  affair  with  the  Indian  woman  occurred. 
Several  captains  who  had  gone  on  in  ad 
vance  with  the  general,  Juan  de  Saldivar  and 
Barrionuevo  and  Diego  Lopez  and  Melgosa, 
took  the  Indians  so  much  by  surprise  that 
they  gained  the  upper  story,  with  great  dan 
ger,  for  they  wounded  many  of  our  men  from 
within  the  houses.  Our  men  were  on  top 
of  the  houses  in  great  danger  for  a  day  and  a 
night  and  part  of  the  next  day,  and  they 
made  some  good  shots  with  their  crossbows 
and  muskets.  The  horsemen  on  the  plain 
with  many  of  the  Indian  allies  from  New 
Spain  smoked  them  out  from  the  cellars  l  into 
which  they  had  broken,  so  that  they  begged 
for  peace. 

Pablo  de  Melgosa  and  Diego  Lopez,  the 
alderman  from  Seville,  were  left  on  the  roof 
and  answered  the  Indians  with  the  same 


Evidently  the  underground,  or  partially  under 
ground,  ceremonial  chambers  or  kivas. 
50 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

signs  they  were  making  for  peace,  which 
was  to  make  a  cross.  They  then  put  down 
their  arms  and  received  pardon.  They  were 
taken  to  the  tent  of  Don  Garcia,  who,  accord 
ing  to  what  he  said,  did  not  know  about  the 
peace  and  thought  that  they  had  given  them 
selves  up  of  their  own  accord  because  they 
had  been  conquered.  As  he  had  been  or 
dered  by  the  general  not  to  take  them 
alive,  but  to  make  an  example  of  them  so 
that  the  other  natives  would  fear  the  Span 
iards,  he  ordered  200  stakes  to  be  prepared 
at  once  to  burn,  them  alive.  Nobody  told 
him  about  the  peace  that  had  been  granted 
them,  for  the  soldiers  knew  as  little  as  he, 
and  those  who  should  have  told  him  about 
it  remained  silent,  not  thinking  that  it  was 
any  of  their  business.  Then  when  the  ene 
mies  saw  that  the  Spaniards  were  binding 
them  and  beginning  to  roast  them,  about  a 
hundred  men  who  were  in  the  tent  began  to 
struggle  and  defend  themselves  with  what 
there  was  there  and  with  the  stakes  they 
could  seize.  Our  men  who  were  on  foot 
attacked  the  tent  on  all  sides,  so  that  there 
was  great  confusion  around  it,  and  then  the 
horsemen  chased  those  who  escaped.  As 
the  country  was  level,  not  a  man  of  them 
remained  alive,  unless  it  was  some  who  re 
mained  hidden  in  the  village  and  escaped 
that  night  to  spread  throughout  the  country 
the  news  that  the  strangers  did  not  respect 
the  peace  they  had  made,  which  afterward 
proved  a  great  misfortune.  After  this  was 
51 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

over,  it  began  to  snow,  and  they  abandoned 
the  village  and  returned  to  the  camp  just  as 
the  army  came  from  Cibola. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Of  how  they  besieged  Tiguex  and  took  it  and  of 
what  happened  during  the  siege. 

As  I  have  already  related,  it  began  to 
snow  in  that  country  just  after  they  captured 
the  village,  and  it  snowed  so  much  that  for 
the  next  two  months  it  was  impossible  to  do 
anything  except  to  go  along  the  roads  to  ad 
vise  them  to  make  peace  and  tell  them  that 
they  would  be  pardoned  and  might  consider 
themselves  safe,  to  which  they  replied  that 
they  did  not  trust  those  who  did  not  know 
how  to  keep  good  faith  after  they  had  once 
given  it,  and  that  the  Spaniards  should  re 
member  that  they  were  keeping  Whiskers 
prisoner  and  that  they  did  not  keep  their 
word  when  they  burned  those  who  surren 
dered  in  the  village.  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de 
Cardenas  was  one  of  those  who  went  to  give 
this  notice.  He  started  out  with  about 
30  companions  and  went  to  the  village  of 
Tiguex  to  talk  with  Juan  Aleman.  Al 
though  they  were  hostile,  they  talked  with 
him  and  said  that  if  he  wished  to  talk  with 
them  he  must  dismount  and  they  would 
come  out  and  talk  with  him  about  a  peace, 
and  that  if  he  would  send  away  the  horse- 
52 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

men  and  make  his  men  keep  away,  Juan 
Alemau  and  another  captain  would  come 
out  of  the  village  and  meet  him.  Every 
thing  was  done  as  they  required,  and  then 
when  they  approached  they  said  that  they 
had  no  arms  and  that  he  must  take  his  off. 
Don  Garcia  Lopez  did  this  in  order  to  give 
them  confidence,  on  account  of  his  great  de 
sire  to  get  them  to  make  peace.  When  he 
met  them,  Juan  Aleman  approached  and 
embraced  him  vigorously,  while  the  other 
two  who  had  come  with  him  drew  two  mal 
lets  l  which  they  had  hidden  hehind  their 
hacks  and  gave  him  two  such  blows  over  his 
helmet  that  they  almost  knocked  him  sense 
less.  Two  of  the  soldiers  on  horseback  had 
been  unwilling  to  go  very  far  off,  even  when 
lie  ordered  them,  and  so  they  were  near  by 
and  rode  up  so  quickly  that  they  rescued 
him  from  their  hands,  although  they  were 
unable  to  catch  the  enemies  because  the 
meeting  was  so  near  the  village  that  of  the 
great  shower  of  arrows  which  were  shot  at 
them  one  arrow  hit  a  horse  and  went 
through  his  nose.  The  horsemen  all  rode 
up  together  and  hurriedly  carried  off  their 
captain,  without  being  able  to  harm  the 
enemy,  while  many  of  our  men  were  dan 
gerously  wounded. 

They  then  withdrew,  leaving  a  number  of 
men  to  continue  the  attack.  Don  Garcia 
Lopez  de  Cardenas  went  on  with  a  part  of 

1  Wooden  warclubs  shaped  like  potato-mashers. 
53 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

the  force  to  another  village  about  half  a 
league  distant,  because  almost  all  the  people 
in  this  region  had  collected  into  these  two 
villages.  As  they  paid  no  attention  to  the 
demands  made  on  them,  except  by  shooting 
arrows  from  the  upper  stories  with  loud 
yells,  and  would  not  hear  of  peace,  he  re 
turned  to  his  companions  whom  he  had  left 
to  keep  up  the  attack  of  Tiguex.  A  large 
number  of  those  in  the  village  came  out  and 
our  men  rode  off  slowly,  pretending  to  flee, 
so  that  they  drew  the  enemy  on  to  the  plain, 
and  then  turned  on  them  and  caught  several 
of  their  Leaders.  The  rest  collected  on  the 
roofs  of  the  village  and  the  captain  returned 
to  his  camp. 

After  this  affair  the  general  ordered  the 
army  to  go  and  surround  the  village.  He 
set  out  with  his  men  in  good  order,  one  day, 
with  several  scaling  ladders.  When  he 
reached  the  village,  he  encamped  his  force 
near  by,  and  then  began  the  siege;  but  as 
the  enemy  had  had  several  days  to  provide 
themselves  with  stores,  they  threw  down 
such  quantities  of  rocks  upon  our  men  that 
many  of  them  were  laid  out,  and  they 
wounded  nearly  a  hundred  with  arrows, 
several  of  whom  afterward  died  on  account 
of  the  bad  treatment  by  an  unskillful  surgeon 
who  was  with  the  army.  The  siege  lasted 
fifty  days,  during  which  time  several  assaults 
were  made.  The  lack  of  water  was  what 
troubled  the  Indians  most.  They  dug  a 
very  deep  well  inside  the  village,  but  were 
54 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

not  able  to  get  water,  and  while  they  were 
making  it,  it  fell  in  and  killed  30  persons. 
Two  hundred  of  the  besieged  died  in  the 
fights.  One  day  when  there  was  a  hard 
fight,  they  killed  Francisco  de  Obando,  a 
captain  who  had  been  army-master  all  the 
time  that  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  was 
away  making  the  discoveries  already  de 
scribed,  and  also  Francisco  Pobares,  a  fine 
gentleman.  Our  men  were  unable  to  pre 
vent  them  from  carrying  Francisco  de  Oban 
do  inside  the  village,  which  was  regretted 
not  a  little,  because  he  was  a  distinguished 
person,  besides  being  honored  on  his  own 
account,  affable  and  much  beloved,  which 
was  noticeable. 

One  day,  before  the  capture  was  com 
pleted,  they  asked  to  speak  to  us,  and  said 
that,  since  they  knew  we  would  not  harm 
the  women  and  children,  they  wished  to 
surrender  their  women  and  sons,  because 
they  were  using  up  their  water.  It  was  im 
possible  to  persuade  them  to  make  peace, 
as  they  said  that  the  Spaniards  would  not 
keep  an  agreement  made  with  them.  So 
they  gave  up  about  a  hundred  persons,  wom 
en  and  boys,  who  did  not  want  to  leave 
them.  Don  Lope  de  Urrea  rode  up  in  front 
of  the  town  without  his  helmet  and  received 
the  boys  and  girls  in  his  arms,  and  when  all 
of  these  had  been  surrendered,  Don  Lope 
begged  them  to  make  peace,  giving  them 
the  strongest  promises  for  their  safety. 
They  told  him  to  go  away,  as  they  did  not 
55 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

wish  to  trust  themselves  to  people  who  had 
no  regard  for  friendship  or  their  own  word 
which  they  had  pledged.  As  he  seemed 
unwilling  to  go  away,  one  of  them  put  an 
arrow  in  his  bow  ready  to  shoot,  and  threat 
ened  to  shoot  him  with  it  unless  he  went 
off,  and  they  warned  him  to  put  on  his  hel 
met,  but  he  was  unwilling  to  do  so,  saying 
that  they  would  not  hurt  him  as  long  as  he 
stayed  there.  When  the  Indian  saw  that 
he  did  not  want  to  go  away,  he  shot  and 
planted  his  arrow  between  the  fore  feet  of 
the  horse,  and  then  put  another  arrow  in  his 
bow  and  repeated  that  if  he  did  not  go  away 
he  would  really  shoot  him.  Don  Lope  put 
on  his  helmet  and  slowly  rode  back  to 
where  the  horsemen  were,  without  receiv 
ing  any  harm  from  them.  When  they 
saw  that  he  was  really  in  safety,  they 
began  to  shoot  arrows  in  showers,  with 
loud  yells  and  cries.  The  general  did  not 
want  to  make  an  assault  that  day,  in  order 
to  see  if  they  could  be  brought  in  some 
way  to  make  peace,  which  they  would  not 
consider. 

Fifteen  days  later  they  decided  to  leave 
the  village  one  night,  and  did  so,  taking  the 
women  in  their  midst.  They  started  about 
the  fourth  watch,  in  the  very  early  morning, 
on  the  side  where  the  cavalry  was.  The 
alarm  was  given  by  those  in  the  camp  of 
Don  Eodrigo  Maldonado.  The  enemy  at 
tacked  them  and  killed  one  Spaniard  and  a 
horse  and  wounded  others,  but  they  were 
56 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

driven  back  with  great  slaughter  until  they 
came  to  the  river,  where  the  water  flowed 
swiftly  and  very  cold.  They  threw  them 
selves  into  this,  and  as  the  men  had  come 
quickly  from  the  whole  camp  to  assist  the 
cavalry,  there  were  few  who  escaped  being 
killed  or  wounded.  Some  men  from  the 
camp  went  across  the  river  next  day  and 
found  many  of  them  who  had  been  over 
come  by  the  great  cold.  They  brought 
these  back,  cured  them,  and  made  serv 
ants  of  them.  This  ended  that  siege, 
and  the  town  was  captured,  although  there 
were  a  few  who  remained  in  one  part  of 
the  town  and  were  captured  a  few  days 
later. 

Two  captains,  Don  Diego  de  Guevara  and 
Juan  de  Saldivar,  had  captured  the  other 
large  village  after  a  siege.  Having  started 
out  very  early  one  morning  to  make  an  am 
buscade  in  which  to  catch  some  warriors 
who  used  to  come  out  every  morning  to  try 
to  frighten  our  camp,  the  spies,  who  had 
been  placed  where  they  could  see  when  they 
were  coming,  saw  the  people  come  out  and 
proceed  toward  the  country.  The  soldiers 
left  the  ambuscade  and  went  to  the  village 
and  saw  the  people  fleeing.  They  pursued 
and  killed  large  numbers  of  them.  At  the 
same  time  those  in  the  camp  were  ordered 
to  go  over  the  town,  and  they  plundered  it, 
making  prisoners  of  all  the  people  who  were 
found  in  it,  amounting  to  about  a  hundred 
women  and  children.  This  siege  ended  the 
57 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

last  of  March,  in  the  year  '42,1  Other 
things  had  happened  in  the  meantime,  which 
would  have  been  noticed,  but  that  it  would 
have  cut  the  thread.  I  have  omitted  them, 
but  will  relate  them  now,  so  that  it  will  be 
possible  to  understand  what  follows. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Of  how  messengers  reached  the  army  from  the 
valley  of  Sefiora  and  how  Captain  Melchior  Diaz 
died  on  the  expedition  to  the  Firebrand  river. 

WE  have  already  related  how  Captain 
Melchior  Diaz  crossed  the  Firebrand  river 
on  rafts,  in  order  to  continue  his  discoveries 
farther  in  that  direction.  About  the  time 
the  siege  ended,  messengers  reached  the 
army  from  the  city  of  San  Hieronimo  with 
letters  from  Diego  de  Alarcon,1  who  had  re 
mained  there  in  the  place  of  Melchior  Diaz. 
These  contained  the  news  that  Melchior 
Diaz  had  died  while  he  was  conducting  his 
search,  and  that  the  force  had  returned  with 
out  finding  any  of  the  things  they  were  after. 
It  all  happened  in  this  fashion : 

After  they  had  crossed  the  river  they  con 
tinued  their  search  for  the  coast,  which  here 
turned  back  toward  the  south,  or  between 
south  and  east,  because  that  arm  of  the  sea 

1  Professor  Haynes  corrected  the  error  in  a  note  in 
Winsor's  Narrative  and  Critical  History,  vol.  ii.,  p. 
491,  saying  that  "it  is  evident  that  the  siege  must 
have  been  concluded  early  in  1541." 
2  Should  be  Alcaraz. 

58 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

enters  the  land  due  north  and  this  river, 
which  brings  its  waters  down  from  the  north, 
flowing  toward  the  south,  enters  the  head  of 
the  gulf.  Continuing  in  the  direction  they 
had  been  going,  they  came  to  some  sand 
banks  of  hot  ashes  which  it  was  impossible 
to  cross  without  being  drowned  as  in  the  sea. 
The  ground  they  were  standing  on  trembled 
like  a  sheet  of  paper,  so  that  it  seemed  as 
if  there  were  lakes  underneath  them.  It 
seemed  wonderful  and  like  something  infer 
nal,  for  the  ashes  to  bubble  up  here  in  sev 
eral  places.  After  they  had  gone  away  from 
this  place,  on  account  of  the  danger  they 
seemed  to  be  in  and  of  the  lack  of  water, 
one  day  a  greyhound  belonging  to  one  of  the 
soldiers  chased  some  sheep  which  they  were 
taking  along  for  food.  When  the  captain 
noticed  this,  he  threw  his  lance  at  the  dog 
while  his  horse  was  running,  so  that  it  stuck 
up  iii  the  ground,  and  not  being  able  to  stop 
his  horse  he  went  over  the  lance  so  that  it 
nailed  him  through  the  thighs  and  the  iron 
came  out  behind,  rupturing  his  bladder. 
After  this  the  soldiers  turned  back  with 
their  captain,  having  to  fight  every  day  with 
the  Indians,  who  had  remained  hostile.  He 
lived  about  twenty  days,  during  which  they 
proceeded  with  great  difficulty  on  account  of 
the  necessity  of  carrying  him.  They  re 
turned  in  good  order  without  losing  a  man, 
until  he  died,  and  after  that  they  were  re 
lieved  of  the  greatest  difficulty.  When  they 
reached  Senora,  Alcaraz  dispatched  the  mes- 
59 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 

sengers  already  referred  to,  so  that  the  gen 
eral  might  know  of  this  and  also  that  some  of 
the  soldiers  were  ill  disposed  and  had  caused 
several  mutinies,  and  that  he  had  sentenced 
two  of  them  to  the  gallows,  but  they  had 
afterward  escaped  from  the  prison. 

When  the  general  learned  this,  he  sent 
Don  Pedro  de  Tovar  to  that  city  to  sift  out 
some  of  the  men.  He  was  accompanied  by 
messengers  whom  the  general  sent  to  Don 
Antonio  de  Mendoza  the  viceroy,  with  an 
account  of  what  had  occurred  and  with  the 
good  news  given  by  the  Turk.  When  Don 
Pedro  de  Tovar  arrived  there,  he  found  that 
the  natives  of  that  province  had  killed  a  sol 
dier  with  a  poisoned  arrow,  which  had  made 
only  a  very  little  wound  in  one  hand.  Sev 
eral  soldiers  went  to  the  place  where  this 
happened  to  see  about  it,  and  they  were  not 
very  well  received.  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar 
sent  Diego  de  Alcaraz  with  a  force  to  seize 
the  chiefs  and  lords  of  a  village  in  what  they 
call  the  Valley  of  Knaves  (de  los  Vellacos), 
which  is  in  the  hills.  After  getting  there 
and  taking  these  men  prisoners,  Diego  de 
Alcaraz  decided  to  let  them  go  in  exchange 
for  some  thread  and  cloth  and  other  things 
which  the  soldiers  needed.  Finding  them 
selves  free,  they  renewed  the  war  and  at 
tacked  them,  and  as  they  were  strong  and 
had  poison,  they  killed  several  Spaniards 
and  wounded  others  so  that  they  died  on  the 
way  back.  They  retired  toward  the  town, 
and  if  they  had  not  had  Indian  allies  from 
60 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

the  country  of  the  Hearts,  it  would  have 
gone  worse  with  them.  They  got  back  to 
the  town,  leaving  17  soldiers  dead  from 
the  poison.  They  would  die  in  agony 
from  only  a  small  wound,  the  bodies  break 
ing  out  with  an  insupportable  pestilential 
stink.  When  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar  saw  the 
harm  done,  and  as  it  seemed  to  them  that 
they  could  not  safely  stay  in  that  city,  he 
moved  40  leagues  toward  Cibola  into  the 
valley  of  Suya,  where  we  will  leave  them,  in 
order  to  relate  what  happened  to  the  general 
and  his  army  after  the  siege  of  Tiguex. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Of  how  the  general  managed  to  leave  the  country 
in  peace  so  as  to  go  in  search  of  Quivira,  where  the 
Turk  said  there  was  the  most  wealth. 

DURING  the  siege  of  Tiguex  the  general 
decided  to  go  to  Cicuye  and  take  the  gover 
nor  with  him,  in  order  to  give  him  his  liberty 
and  to  promise  them  that  he  would  give 
Whiskers  his  liberty  and  leave  him  in  the 
village,  as  soon  as  he  should  start  for  Qui 
vira.  He  was  received  peacefully  when  he 
readied  Cicuye,  and  entered  the  village  with 
several  soldiers.  They  received  their  gover 
nor  with  much  joy  and  gratitude.  After 
looking  over  the  village  and  speaking  with 
the  natives  he  returned  to  his  army,  leaving 
Cicuye  at  peace,  in  the  hope  of  getting  back 
their  captain  Whiskers. 
61 


THE  JOURNEY   OP  CORONADO 

After  the  siege  was  ended,  as  we  have 
already  related,  he  sent  a  captain  to  Chia, 
a  fine  village  with  many  people,  which  had 
sent  to  offer  its  submission.  It  was  4 
leagues  distant  to  the  west  of  the  river. 
They  found  it  peaceful  and  gave  it  four 
bronze  cannon,  which  were  in  poor  condition, 
to  take  care  of.  Six  gentlemen  also  went  to 
Quirix,  a  province  with  seven  villages.  At 
the  first  village,  which  had  about  a  hundred 
inhabitants,  the  natives  fled,  not  daring  to 
wait  for  our  men ;  but  they  headed  them  off 
by  a  short  cut,  riding  at  full  speed,  and  then 
they  returned  to  their  houses  in  the  village 
in  perfect  safety,  and  then  told  the  other 
villagers  about  it  and  reassured  them.  In 
this  way  the  entire  region  was  reassured,  lit 
tle  by  little,  by  the  time  the  ice  in  the  river 
was  broken  up  and  it  became  possible  to  ford 
the  river  and  so  to  continue  the  journey. 
The  twelve  villages  of  Tiguex,  however,  were 
not  repopulated  at  all  during  the  time  the 
army  was  there,  in  spite  of  every  promise  of 
security  that  could  possibly  be  given  to  them. 

And  when  the  river,  which  for  almost 
four  months  had  been  frozen  over  so  that 
they  crossed  the  ice  on  horseback,  had 
thawed  out,  orders  were  given  for  the  start 
for  Quivira,  where  the  Turk  said  there  was 
some  gold  and  silver,  although  not  so  much 
as  in  Arche  and  the  Guaes.  There  were 
already  some  in  the  army  who  suspected  the 
Turk,  because  a  Spaniard  named  Servantes,1 

1  Or  Cervantes. 
63 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

who  had  charge  of  him  during  the  siege, 
solemnly  swore  that  he  had  seen  the  Turk 
talking  with  the  devil  in  a  pitcher  of  water, 
and  also  that  while  he  had  him  under  lock 
so  that  no  one  could  speak  to  him,  the  Turk 
had  asked  him  what  Christians  had  been 
killed  by  the  people  at  Tiguex.  He  told 
him  "nobody,"  and  then  the  Turk  answered : 

"You  lie;  live  Christians  are  dead,  includ 
ing  a  captain."  And  as  Cervantes  knew 
that  he  told  the  truth,  he  confessed  it  so  as 
to  find  out  who  had  told  him  about  it,  and 
the  Turk  said  he  knew  it  all  by  himself  and 
that  he  did  not  need  to  have  anyone  tell  him 
in  order  to  know  it.  And  it  was  on  account 
of  this  that  he  watched  him  and  saw  him 
speaking  to  the  devil  in  the  pitcher,  as  I 
have  said. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  preparations 
were  being  made  to  start  from  Tiguex.  At 
this  time  people  came  from  Cibola  to  see  the 
general,  and  he  charged  them  to  take  good 
care  of  the  Spaniards  who  were  coming  from 
Senora  with  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar.  He  gave 
them  letters  to  give  to  Don  Pedro,  informing 
him  what  he  ought  to  do  and  how  he  should 
go  to  find  the  army,  and  that  he  would  find 
letters  under  the  crosses  which  the  army 
would  put  up  along  the  way.  The  army 
left  Tiguex  on  the  5th  of  May  '  and  returned 
to  Cicuye,  which,  as  I  have  said,  is  twenty  - 


1  Coronado  says,  in  his  letter  of  October  20th,  that 
he  started  April  23d. 

63 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

five  marches,  which  means  leagues,  from 
there,  taking  Whiskers  with  them.  Arrived 
there,  he  gave  them  their  captain,  who  al 
ready  went  about  freely  with  a  guard.  The 
village  was  very  glad  to  see  him,  and  the 
people  were  peaceful  and  offered  food.  The 
governor  and  Whiskers  gave  the  general  a 
young  fellow  called  Xabe,  a  native  of  Qui- 
vira,  who  could  give  them  information  about 
the  country.  This  fellow  said  that  there 
was  gold  and  silver,  but  not  so  much  of  it 
as  the  Turk  had  said.  The  Turk,  however, 
continued  to  declare  that  it  was  as  he  had 
said.  He  went  as  a  guide,  and  thus  the 
army  started  off  from  here. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

Of  how  they  started  in  search  of  Quivira  and  of 
what  happened  on  the  way. 

THE  army  started  from  Cicuye,  leaving 
the  village  at  peace  and,  as  it  seemed,  con 
tented,  and  under  obligations  to  maintain 
the  friendship  because  their  governor  and 
captain  had  been  restored  to  them.  Pro 
ceeding  toward  the  plains,  which  are  all  on 
the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  after  four 
days'  journey  they  came  to  a  river  with  a 
large,  deep  current,  which  flowed  down  to 
ward  Cicuye,  and  they  named  this  the  Cicuye 
river.1  They  had  to  stop  here  to  make  a 

1  The  Rio  Pecos. 
64 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

bridge  so  as  to  cross  it.  It  was  finished  in 
four  days,  by  much  diligence  and  rapid 
work,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  done  the  whole 
army  and  the  animals  crossed.  After  ten 
days  more  they  came  to  some  settlements  of 
people  who  lived  like  Arabs  and  who  are 
called  Querechos  in  that  region.  They  had 
seen  the  cows  for  two  days.  These  folks 
live  in  tents  made  of  the  tanned  skins  of  the 
cows.  They  travel  around  near  the  cows, 
killing  them  for  food.  They  did  nothing 
unusual  when  they  saw  our  army,  except  to 
come  out  of  their  tents  to  look  at  us,  after 
which  they  came  to  talk  with  the  advance 
guard,  and  asked  who  we  were.  The  gene 
ral  talked  with  them,  but  as  they  had  al 
ready  talked  with  the  Turk,  who  was  with 
the  advance  guard,  they  agreed  with  what 
he  had  said.  That  they  were  very  intelli 
gent  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  although 
they  conversed  by  means  of  signs  they  made 
themselves  understood  so  well  that  there  was 
no  need  of  an  interpreter.1  They  said  that 
there  was  a  very  large  river  over  toward 
where  the  sun  came  from,  and  that  one 
could  go  along  this  river  through  an  inhab 
ited  region  for  ninety  days  without  a  break 
from  settlement  to  settlement.  They  said 
that  the  first  of  these  settlements  was  called 
Haxa,  and  that  the  river  was  more  than  a 

1  There  is  an  elaborate  account  of  the  sign  lan 
guage  of  the  Indians,  by  Garrick  Mallery,  in  the 
lirst  annal  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  1879- 
80. 

65 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

league  wide  and  that  there  were  many  ca 
noes  on  it.  These  folks  started  off  from 
here  next  day  with  a  lot  of  dogs  which 
dragged  their  possessions. 

For  two  days,  during  which  the  army 
marched  in  the  same  direction  as  that  in 
which  they  had  come  from  the  settlements 
— that  is,  between  north  and  east,  but  more 
toward  the  north — they  saw  other  roaming 
Querechos  and  such  great  numbers  of  cows 
that  it  already  seemed  something  incredible. 
These  people  gave  a  great  deal  of  information 
about  settlements,  all  toward  the  east  from 
where  we  were.  Here  Don  Garcia  broke  his 
arm  and  a  Spaniard  got  lost  who  went  off 
hunting  so  far  that  he  was  unable  to  return 
to  the  camp,  because  the  country  is  very 
level.  The  Turk  said  it  was  one  or  two 
days  to  Haya  (Haxa).  The  general  sent 
Captain  Diego  Lopez  with  ten  companions 
lightly  equipped  and  a  guide  to  go  at  full 
speed  toward  the  sunrise  for  two  days  and 
discover  Haxa,  and  then  return  to  meet  the 
army,  which  set  out  in  the  same  direction 
next  day.  They  came  across  so  many  ani 
mals  that  those  who  were  on  the  advance 
guard  killed  a  large  number  of  bulls.  As 
these  fled  they  trampled  one  another  in  their 
haste  until  they  came  to  a  ravine.  So  many 
of  the  animals  fell  into  this  that  they  filled 
it  up,  and  the  rest  went  across  on  top  of 
them.  The  men  who  were  chasing  them  on 
horseback  fell  in  among  the  animals  without 
noticing  where  they  were  going.  Three  of 
66 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

the  horses  that  fell  in  among  the  cows,  all 
saddled  and  bridled,  were  lost  sight  of  com 
pletely. 

As  it  seemed  to  the  general  that  Diego 
Lopez  ought  to  be  on  his  way  back,  he  sent 
six  of  his  companions  to  follow  up  the  banks 
of  the  little  river,  and  as  many  more  down 
the  banks,  to  look  for  traces  of  the  horses  at 
the  trails  to  and  from  the  river.  It  was  im 
possible  to  find  tracks  in  this  country,  be 
cause  the  grass  straightened  up  again  as  soon 
as  it  was  trodden  down.  They  were  found 
by  some  Indians  from  the  army  who  had 
gone  to  look  for  fruit.  These  got  track  of 
them  a  good  league  off,  and  soon  came  up 
with  them.  They  followed  the  river  down 
to  the  camp,  and  told  the  general  that  in 
the  20  leagues  they  had  been  over  they  had 
seen  nothing  but  cows  and  the  sky.  There 
was  another  native  of  Quivira  with  the  army, 
a  painted  Indian  named  Ysopete.  This  In 
dian  had  always  declared  that  the  Turk  was 
lying,  and  on  account  of  this  the  army  paid 
no  attention  to  him,  and  even  now,  although 
lie  said  that  the  Querechos  had  consulted 
with  him,  Ysopete  was  not  believed. 

The  general  sent  Don  Eodrigo  Maldonado, 
with  his  company,  forward  from  here.  He 
traveled  four  days  and  reached  a  large  ravine 
like  those  of  Colima,1  in  the  bottom  of  which 
he  found  a  large  settlement  of  people.  Ca- 

1  The  reference  is  clearly  to  the  district  of  Colima 
in  western  Mexico,  where  one  of  the  earliest  Spanish 
settlements  was  made. 

67 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

beza  de  Vaca  and  Dorantes  had  passed 
through  this  place,  so  that  they  presented 
Don  Eodrigo  with  a  pile  of  tanned  skins  and 
other  things,  and  a  tent  as  big  as  a  house, 
which  he  directed  them  to  keep  until  the 
army  came  up.  He  sent  some  of  his  com 
panions  to  guide  the  army  to  that  place,  so 
that  they  should  not  get  lost,  although  he 
had  been  making  piles  of  stones  and  cow 
dung  for  the  army  to  follow.  This  was  the 
way  in  which  the  army  was  guided  by  the 
advance  guard. 

When  the  general  came  up  with  the  army 
and  saw  the  great  quantity  of  skins,  he 
thought  he  would  divide  them  among  the 
men,  and  placed  guards  so  that  they  could 
look  at  them.  But  when  the  men  arrived 
and  saw  that  the  general  was  sending  some 
of  his  companions  with  orders  for  the  guards 
to  give  them  some  of  the  skins,  and  that 
these  were  going  to  select  the  best,  they 
were  angry  because  they  were  not  going  to 
be  divided  evenly,  and  made  a  rush,  and  in 
less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  nothing  was 
left  but  the  empty  ground. 

The  natives  who  happened  to  see  this 
also  took  a  hand  in  it.  The  women  and 
some  others  were  left  crying,  because  they 
thought  that  the  strangers  were  not  going  to 
take  anything,  but  would  bless  them  as  Ca- 
beza  de  Vaca  and  Dorantes  had  done  when 
they  passed  through  here.  They  found  an 
Indian  girl  here  who  was  as  white  as  a  Cas- 
tilian  lady,  except  that  she  had  her  chin 
G8 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

painted  like  a  Moorish  woman.  In  general 
they  all  paint  themselves  in  this  way  here, 
and  they  decorate  their  eyes. 


CHAPTER   XX 

Of  how  great  stones  fell  iu  the  camp,  and  bow 
they  discovered  another  ravine,  where  the  army  was 
divided  into  two  parts. 

WHILE  the  army  was  resting  in  this  ra 
vine,  as  we  have  related,  a  tempest  came  up 
one  afternoon  with  a  very  high  wind  and 
hail,  and  in  a  very  short  space  of  time  a 
great  quantity  of  hailstones,  as  big  as  bowls, 
or  bigger,  fell  as  thick  as  raindrops,  so  that 
in  places  they  covered  the  ground  two  or 
three  spans  or  more  deep.  And  one  hit  the 
horse — or  I  should  say,  there  was  not  a 
horse  that  did  not  break  away,  except  two 
or  three  which  the  negroes  protected  by 
holding  large  sea  nets  over  them,  with  the 
helmets  and  shields  which  all  the  rest  wore ; 
and  some  of  them  dashed  up  on  to  the  sides 
of  the  ravine  so  that  they  got  them  down 
with  great  difficulty.  If  this  had  struck 
them  while  they  were  upon  the  plain,  the 
army  would  have  been  in  great  danger  of 
being  left  without  its  horses,  as  there  were 
many  which  they  were  not  able  to  cover. 
The  hail  broke  many  tents,  and  battered 
many  helmets,  and  wounded  many  of  the 
horses,  and  broke  all  the  crockery  of  the 
army,  and  the  gourds,  which  was  no  small 
69 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

loss,  because  they  do  not  have  any  crockery 
in  this  region.  They  do  not  make  gourds, 
nor  sow  corn,  nor  eat  bread,  but  instead  raw 
meat — or  only  half  cooked — and  fruit. 

From  here  the  general  sent  out  to  explore 
the  country,  and  they  found  another  settle 
ment  four  days  from  there  '  .  .  .  The  coun 
try  was  well  inhabited,  and  they  had  plenty 
of  kidney  beans  and  prunes  like  those  of 
Castile,  and  tall  vineyards.  These  village 
settlements  extended  for  three  days.  This 
was  called  Cona.  Some  Teyas,2  as  these 
people  are  called,  went  with  the  army  from 
here  and  traveled  as  far  as  the  end  of  the 
other  settlements  with  their  packs  of  dogs 
and  women  and  children,  and  then  they 
gave  them  guides  to  proceed  to  a  large  ravine 
where  the  army  was.  They  did  not  let  these 
guides  speak  with  the  Turk  and  did  not  re 
ceive  the  same  statements  from  these  as  they 
had  from  the  others.  These  said  that  Qui- 
vira  was  toward  the  north,  and  that  we 
would  not  find  any  good  road  thither.  After 
this  they  began  to  believe  Ysopete.  The 
ravine  which  the  army  had  now  reached  was 
a  league  wide  from  one  side  to  the  other, 
with  a  little  bit  of  a  river  at  the  bottom,  and 
there  were  many  groves  of  mulberry  trees 
near  it,  and  rosebushes  with  the  same  sort 

1  A  manera  de  alixares.  The  margin  reads  Alex- 
eres.  The  word  means  threshing  floor. 

2Bandelier  suggests  that  the  name  may  have  origi 
nated  in  the  Indian  exclamation,  Texia!  Texia! — 
friends !  friends  J — with  which  they  first  greeted  the 
Spaniards. 

70 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

of  fruit  that  they  have  in  France.  They 
made  verjuice  from  the  unripe  grapes  at  this 
ravine,  although  there  were  ripe  ones. 
There  were  walnuts  and  the  same  kind  of 
fowls  as  in  New  Spain,  and  large  quantities 
of  prunes  like  those  of  Castile.  During  this 
journey  a  Teya  was  seen  to  shoot  a  bull 
right  through  both  shoulders  with  an  arrow, 
which  would  be  a  good  shot  for  a  musket. 
These  people  are  very  intelligent ;  the  women 
are  well  made  and  modest.  They  cover 
their  whole  body.  They  wear  shoes  and 
buskins  made  of  tanned  skin.  The  women 
wear  cloaks  over  their  small  under  petticoats, 
with  sleeves  gathered  up  at  the  shoulders, 
all  of  skin,  and  some  wore  something  like 
little  sanbenitos l  with  a  fringe,  which 
reached  half-way  down  the  thigh  over  the 
petticoat. 

The  army  rested  several  days  in  this  ra- 

1  Capt.  John  Stevens's  New  Dictionary  says  the 
saubeuito  was  "the  badge  put  upon  converted  Jews 
brought  out  by  the  Inquisition,  being  in  the  nature 
of  a  scapula  or  a  broad  piece  of  cloth  hanging  before 
and  behind,  with  a  large  Saint  Andrews  cross  on  it, 
red  and  yellow.  The  name  corrupted  from  Saco 
I3euito,  answerable  to  the  sackcloth  worn  by  peni 
tents  in  the  primitive  church."  Robert  Tomson,  in 
his  Voyage  into  Nova  Hispania,  1555,  in  Hakltiyt, 
iii.,  536,  describes  his  imprisonment  by  the  Holy 
Office  in  the  city  of  Mexico :  "  We  were  brought  into 
the  Church,  euery  one  with  a  S.  Benito  vpon  his 
backe,  which  is  a'halfe  a  yard  of  yellow  cloth,  with 
a  hole  to  put  in  a  mans  head  in  the  middest,  and  cast 
oner  a  mans  head :  both  flaps  hang  one  before,  and 
another  behincle,  and  in  the  middest  of  euery  flap,  a 
S.  Audrewes  crosse,  made  of  red  cloth,  sowed  on 
vpoii  the  same,  and  that  is  called  S.  Benito." 
71 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

vine  and  explored  the  country.  Up  to  this 
point  they  had  made  thirty-seven  days' 
marches,  traveling  6  or  7  leagues  a  day.  It 
had  been  the  duty  of  one  man  to  measure 
and  count  his  steps.  They  found  that  it 
was  250  leagues  to  the  settlements.1  When 
the  general  Francisco  Vazquez  realized  this, 
and  saw  that  they  had  been  deceived  by  the 
Turk  heretofore,  and  as  the  provisions  were 
giving  out  and  there  was  no  country  around 
here  where  they  could  procure  more,  he 
called  the  captains  and  ensigns  together  to 
decide  on  what  they  thought  ought  to  be 
done.  They  all  agreed  that  the  general 
should  go  in  search  of  Quivira  with  thirty 
horsemen  and  half  a  dozen  foot-soldiers,  and 
that  Don  Tristan  de  Arellano  should  go  back 
to  Tiguex  with  all  the  army.-  When  the 
men  in  the  army  learned  of  this  decision, 
they  begged  their  general  not  to  leave  them 
to  conduct  the  further  search,  but  declared 
that  they  all  wanted  to  die  with  him  and 
did  not  want  to  go  back.  This  did  not  do 
any  good,  although  the  general  agreed  to 
send  messengers  to  them  within  eight  days 
saying  whether  it  was  best  for  them  to  fol 
low  him  or  not,  and  with  this  he  set  off  with 
the  guides  he  had  and  with  Ysopete.  The 
Turk  was  taken  along  in  chains. 

1  The  Tiguex  country  is  often  referred  to  as  the 
region  where  the  settlements  were. 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONA] 


CHAPTER  XXI 

Of  bow  the  army  returned  to  Tiguex  and  the  g 
ral  reached  Quivira. 

THE  general  started  from  the  ravine  with 
the  guides  that  the  Teyas  had  given  him. 
He  appointed  the  alderman  Diego  Lopez  his 
army-master,  and  took  with  him  the  men 
who  seemed  to  him  to  be  most  efficient,  and 
the  best  horses.  The  army  still  had  some 
hope  that  the  general  would  send  for  them, 
and  sent  two  horsemen,  lightly  equipped  and 
riding  post,  to  repeat  their  petition. 

The  general  arrived — I  mean,  the  guides 
ran  away  during  the  first  few  days  and 
Diego  Lopez  had  to  return  to  the  army  for 
guides,  bringing  orders  for  the  army  to  re 
turn  to  Tiguex  to  find  food  and  wait  there 
for  the  general.  The  Teyas,  as  before,  will 
ingly  furnished  him  with  new  guides.  The 
army  waited  for  its  messengers  and  spent  a 
fortnight  here,  preparing  jerked  beef  to  take 
with  them.  It  was  estimated  that  during 
this  fortnight  they  killed  500  bulls.  The 
number  of  these  that  were  there  without  any 
cows  was  something  incredible.  Many  fel 
lows  were  lost  at  this  time  who  went  out 
hunting  and  did  not  get  back  to  the  army 
for  two  or  three  days,  wandering  about  the 
country  as  if  they  were  crazy,  in  one  direc 
tion  or  another,  not  knowing  how  to  get 
back  where  they  started  from,  although  this 
73 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

ravine  extended  in  either  direction  so  that 
they  could  find  it.  Every  night  they  took 
account  of  who  was  missing,  fired  guns  and 
blew  trumpets  and  beat  drums  and  built 
great  fires,  but  yet  some  of  them  went  off  so 
far  and  wandered  about  so  much  that  all  this 
did  not  give  them  any  help,  although  it 
helped  others.  The  only  way  was  to  go 
back  where  they  had  killed  an  animal  and 
start  from  there  in  one  direction  and  another 
until  they  struck  the  ravine  or  fell  in  with 
somebody  who  could  put  them  on  the  right 
road.  It  is  worth  noting  that  the  country 
there  is  so  level  that  at  midday,  after  one 
has  wandered  about  in  one  direction  and  an 
other  in  pursuit  of  game,  the  only  thing  to 
do  is  to  stay  near  the  game  quietly  until 
sunset,  so  as  to  see  where  it  goes  down,  and 
even  then  they  have  to  be  men  who  are 
practiced  to  do  it.  Those  who  are  not,  had 
to  trust  themselves  to  others. 

The  general  followed  his  guides  until  he 
reached  Quivira,  which  took  forty-eight 
days'  marching,  on  acount  of  the  great  de 
tour  they  had  made  toward  Florida.  He 
was  received  peacefully  on  account  of  the 
guides  whom  he  had.  They  asked  the  Turk 
why  he  had  lied  and  had  guided  them  so  far 
out  of  their  way.  He  said  that  his  country 
was  in  that  direction  and  that,  besides  this, 
the  people  at  Cicuye  had  asked  him  to  lead 
them  off  on  to  the  plains  and  lose  them,  so 
that  the  horses  would  die  when  their  provi 
sions  gave  out,  and  they  would  be  so  weak 
74 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

if  they  ever  returned  that  they  would  be 
killed  without  any  trouble,  and  thus  they 
could  take  revenge  for  what  had  been  done 
to  them.  This  was  the  reason  why  he  had 
led  them  astray,  supposing  that  they  did  not 
know  how  to  hunt  or  to  live  without  corn, 
while  as  for  the  gold,  he  did  not  know  where 
there  was  any  of  it.  He  said  this  like  one 
who  had  given  up  hope  and  who  found  that 
he  was  being_.  persecuted,  since  they  had 
begun  to  believe  Ysopete,  who  had  guided 
them  better  than  he  had,  and  fearing  lest 
those  who  were  there  might  give  some  ad 
vice  by  which  some  harm  would  come  to 
him.  They  garroted  him,  which  pleased 
Ysopete  very  much,  because  he  had  always 
said  that  Ysopete  was  a  rascal  and  that  he 
did  not  know  what  he  was  talking  about 
and  had  always  hindered  his  talking  with 
anybody.  Neither  gold  nor  silver  nor  any 
trace  of  either  was  found  among  these  peo 
ple.  Their  lord  wore  a  copper  plate  on  his 
neck  and  prized  it  highly. 

The  messengers  whom  the  army  had  sent 
to  the  general  returned,  as  I  said,  and  then, 
as  they  brought  no  news  except  what  the 
alderman  had  delivered,  the  army  left  the 
ravine  and  returned  to  the  Teyas,  where 
they  took  guides  who  led  them  back  by  a 
more  direct  road.  They  readily  furnished 
these,  because  these  people  are  always  roam 
ing  over  this  country  in  pursuit  of  the  ani 
mals  and  so  know  it  thoroughly.  They  keep 
their  road  in  this  way :  In  the  morning  they 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 

notice  where  the  sun  rises  and  observe  the 
direction  they  are  going  to  take,  and  then 
shoot  an  arrow  in  this  direction.  Before 
reaching  this  they  shoot  another  over  it,  and 
in  this  way  they  go  all  day  toward  the  water 
where  they  are  to  end  the  day.  In  this  way 
they  covered  in  25  days  what  had  taken 
them  37  days  going,  besides  stopping  to 
hunt  cows  on  the  way.  They  found  many 
salt  lakes  on  this  road,  and  there  was  a  great 
quantity  of  salt.  There  were  thick  pieces  of 
it  on  top  of  the  water  bigger  than  tables,  as 
thick  as  four  or  five  fingers.  Two  or  three 
spans  down  under  water  there  was  salt 
which  tasted  better  than  that  in  the  floating 
pieces,  because  this  was  rather  bitter.  It 
was  crystalline.  All  over  these  plains  there 
were  large  numbers  of  animals  like  squirrels 
and  a  great  number  of  their  holes. 

On  its  return  the  army  reached  the  Cicuye 
river  more  than  30  leagues  below  there — I 
mean  below  the  bridge  they  had  made  when 
they  crossed  it,  and  they  followed  it  up  to 
that  place.  In  general,  its  banks  are  cov 
ered  with  a  sort  of  rose, bushes,  the  fruit  of 
which  tastes  like  muscatel  grapes.  They 
grow  on  little  twigs  about  as  high  up  as  a 
man.  It  has  the  parsley  leaf.  There  were 
unripe  grapes  and  currants  ( ?)  and  wild  mar 
joram.  The  guides  said  this  river  joined 
that  of  Tiguexmore  than  20  days  from  here, 
and  that  its  course  turned  toward  the  east. 
It  is  believed  that  it  flows  into  the  mighty 
river  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (Espiritu  Santo), 
76 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

which  the  men  with  Don  Hernando  de  Soto 
discovered  in  Florida.  A  painted  Indian 
woman  ran  away  from  Juan  de  Saldibar  and 
hid  in  the  ravines  about  this  time,  because 
she  recognized  the  country  of  Tiguex  where 
she  had  been  a  slave.  She  fell  into  the 
hands  of  some  Spaniards  who  had  entered 
the  country  from  Florida  to  explore  it  in 
this  direction.  After  I  got  back  to  New 
Spain  I  heard  them  say  that  the  Indian  told 
them  that  she  had  run  away  from  other  men 
like  them  nine  clays,  and  that  she  gave  the 
names  of  some  captains;  from  which  we 
ought  to  believe  that  we  were  not  far  from 
the  region  they  discovered,  although  they 
said  they  were  more  than  200  leagues  in 
land.  I  believe  the  land  at  that  point  is 
more  than  600  leagues  across  from  sea  to 
sea. 

As  I  said,  the  army  followed  the  river  up 
as  far  as  Cicuye,  which  it  found  ready  for 
war  and  unwilling  to  make  any  advances  tow 
ard  peace  or  to  give  any  food  to  the  army. 
From  there  they  went  on  to  Tiguex  where 
several  villages  had  been  reinhabited,  but 
the  people  were  afraid  and  left  them  again. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Of  bow  the  general  returned  from  Quivira  and  of 
other  expeditions  toward  the  North. 

AFTER  Don  Tristan  de  Arellano  reached 
Tiguex,  about  the  middle  of   July, .  in  the 

77 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

year  '42,1  he  had  provisions  collected  for  the 
coming  winter.  Captain  Francisco  de  Bar- 
rionuevo  was  sent  up  the  river  toward  the 
north  with  several  men.  He  saw  two  prov 
inces,  one  of  which  was  called  Hemes  and 
had  seven  villages,  and  the  other  Yuquey- 
unque.2  The  inhabitants  of  Hemes  came 
out  peaceably  and  furnished  provisions.  At 
Yuqueyunque  the  whole  nation  left  two  very 
fine  villages  which  they  had  on  either  side 
of  the  river  entirely  vacant,  and  went  into 
the  mountains,  where  they  had  four  very 
strong  villages  in  a  rough  country,  where  it 
was  impossible  for  horses  to  go.  In  the  two 
villages  there  was  a  great  deal  of  food  and 
some  very  beautiful  glazed  earthenware  with 
many  figures  and  different  shapes.  Here 
they  also  found  many  bowls  full  of  a  care 
fully  selected  shining  metal  with  which  they 
glazed  the  earthenware.  This  shows  that 
mines  of  silver  would  be  found  in  that 
country  if  they  should  hunt  for  them. 

There  was  a  large  and  powerful  river,  I 
mean  village,  which  was  called  Braba,  20 
leagues  farther  up  the  river,  which  our  men 
called  Valladolid.3  The  river  flowed  through 


1  Castafieda's  date  is,  as  usual,  a  year  later  than 
the  actual  one. 

2  Yuge-uing-ge,  as  Bandolier  spells  it,  is  the  abo 
riginal  name  of  a  former  Tewa  village,  the  site  of 
which  is  occupied  by  the  hamlet  of  Chainita,  oppo 
site  San  Juan.     The  others  are  near  by. 

3Taos,  or  Te-uat-ha.  See  Bandolier's  Final  Re 
port,  vol.  L,  p.  123,  for  the  identification  of  these 
places. 

78 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

the  middle  of  it.  The  natives  crossed  it  by 
wooden  bridges,  made  of  very  long,  large, 
squared  pines.  At  this  village  they  saw  the 
largest  and  finest  hot  rooms  or  estufas  that 
there  were  in  the  entire  country,  for  they 
had  a  dozen  pillars,  each  one  of  which  was 
twice  as  large  around  as  one  could  reach  and 
twice  as  tall  as  a  man.  Hernando  de  Alva- 
rado  visited  this  village  when  he  discovered 
Cicuye.  The  country  is  very  high  and  very 
cold.  The  river  is  deep  and  very  swift, 
without  any  ford.  Captain  Barrionuevo  re 
turned  from  here,  leaving  the  province  at 
peace. 

Another  captain  went  down  the  river  in 
search  of  the  settlements  which  the  people 
at  Tutahaco  had  said  were  several  days  dis 
tant  from  there.  This  captain  went  down 
80  leagues  and  found  four  large  villages 
which  he  left  at  peace.  He  proceeded  until 
he  found  that  the  river  sank  into  the  earth, 
like  the  Guadiana  in  Estremadura.1  He  did 
not  go  on  to  where  the  Indians  said  that  it 
came  out  much  larger,  because  his  commis 
sion  did  not  extend  for  more  than  80  leagues 
march.  After  this  captain  got  back,  as  the 
time  had  arrived  which  the  captain  had  set 
for  his  return  from  Quivira,  and  as  he  had 
not  come  back,  Don  Tristan  selected  40 

1  This  rendering,  doubtless  correct,  is  due  to  Ter- 
naux.  The  Guadiana,  however,  reappears  above 
ground  some  time  before  it  begins  to  mark  the 
boundary  of  the  Spanish  province  of  Estremadura. 
The  Castaneda  family  had  its  seat  in  quite  the  other 
end  of  the  peninsula. 

79 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

companions  and,  leaving  the  army  to  Fran 
cisco  de  Barrionuevo,  he  started  with  them 
in  search  of  the  general. 

When  he  reached  Cicuye  the  people  came 
out  of  the  village  to  fight,  which  detained 
him  there  four  days,  while  he  punished 
them,  which  he  did  by  firing  some  volleys 
into  the  village.  These  killed  several  men, 
so  that  they  did  not  come  out  against  the 
army,  since  two  of  their  principal  men  had 
been  killed  on  the  first  day.  Just  then 
word  was  brought  that  the  general  was  com 
ing,  and  so  Don  Tristan  had  to  stay  there  on 
this  account  also,  to  keep  the  road  open. 
Everybody  welcomed  the  general  on  his  ar 
rival,  with  great  joy.  The  Indian  Xabe, 
who  was  the  young  fellow  who  had  been 
given  to  the  general  at  Cicuye  when  he 
started  off  in  search  of  Quivira,  was  with 
Don  Tristan  de  Arellano  and  when  he  learned 
that  the  general  was  coming  he  acted  as  if 
he  was  greatly  pleased,  and  said,  "Now 
when  the  general  comes,  you  will  see  that 
there  is  gold  and  silver  in  Quivira,  although 
not  so  much  as  the  Turk  said."  When  the 
general  arrived,  and  Xabe  saw  that  they  had 
not  found  anything,  he  was  sad  and  silent, 
and  kept  declaring  that  there  was  some. 
He  made  many  believe  that  it  was  so,  be 
cause  the  general  had  not  dared  to  enter  into 
the  country  on  account  of  its  being  thickly 
settled  and  his  force  not  very  strong,  and 
that  he  had  returned  to  lead  his  army  there 
after  the  rains,  because  it  had  begun  to  rain 
80 


'THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

there  already,  as  it  was  early  in  August  when 
he  left.  It  took  him  forty  days  to  return, 
traveling  lightly  equipped.  The  Turk  had 
said  when  they  left  Tiguex  that  they  ought 
not  to  load  the  horses  with  too  much  pro 
visions,  which  would  tire  them  so  that  they 
could  not  afterward  carry  the  gold  and  silver, 
from  which  it  is  very  evident  that  he  was 
deceiving  them. 

The  general  reached  Cicuye  with  his  force 
and  at  once  set  off  for  Tiguex,  leaving  the 
village  more  quiet,  for  they  had  met  him 
peaceably  and  had  talked  with  him.  When 
he  reached  Tiguex.  he  made  his  plans  to 
pass  the  winter  there,  so  as  to  return  with 
the  whole  army,  because  it  was  said  that  he 
brought  information  regarding  large  settle 
ments  and  very  large  rivers,  and  that  the 
country  was  very  much  like  that  of  Spain 
in  the  fruits  and  vegetation  and  seasons. 
They  were  not  ready  to  believe  that  there 
was  no  gold  there,  but  instead  had  suspicions 
that  there  was  some  farther  back  in  the  coun 
try,  because,  although  this  was  denied,  they 
knew  what  the  thing  was  and  had  a  name 
for  it  among  themselves — acochis.  With 
this  we  end  this  first  part,  and  now  we  will 
give  an  account  of  the  provinces. 


SECOND   PAET 

WHICH  TREATS  OF  THE  HIGH  VILLAGES 
AND  PROVINCES  AND  OF  THEIR  HABITS 
AND  CUSTOMS,  AS  COLLECTED  BY  PEDRO 
DE  CASTANEDA,  NATIVE  OF  THE  CITY  OF 
NAJARA. 

Laus  Deo. 

IT  does  not  seem  to  me  that  the  reader 
will  be  satisfied  with  having  seen  and  under 
stood  what  I  have  already  related  about  the 
expedition,  although  that  has  made  it  easy 
to  see  the  difference  between  the  report 
which  told  about  vast  treasures,  and  the 
places  where  nothing  like  this  was  either 
found  or  known.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  in 
place  of  settlements  great  deserts  were  found, 
and  instead  of  populous  cities  villages  of  200 
inhabitants  and  only  800  or  1,000  people  in 
the  largest.  I  do  not  know  whether  this 
will  furnish  grounds  for  pondering  and  con 
sidering  the  uncertainty  of  this  life.  To 
please  these,  I  wish  to  give  a  detailed  ac 
count  of  all  the  inhabited  region  seen  and 
discovered  by  this  expedition,  and  some  of 
their  ceremonies  and  habits,  in  accordance 
with  what  we  came  to  know  about  them, 
and  the  limits  within  which  each  province 
82 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

falls,  so  that  hereafter  it  may  be  possible  to 
understand  in  what  direction  Florida  lies  and 
in  what  direction  Greater  India;  and  this 
land  of  New  Spain  is  part  of  the  mainland 
with  Peru,  and  with  Greater  India  or  China 
as  well,  there  not  being  any  strait  between 
to  separate  them.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
country  is  so  wide  that  there  is  room  for 
these  vast  deserts  which  lie  between  the  two 
seas,  for  the  coast  of  the  North  sea  beyond 
Florida  stretches  toward  the  Bacallaos  l  and 
then  turns  toward  Norway,  while  that  of  the 
South  sea  turns  toward  the  west,  making  an 
other  bend  down  toward  the  south  almost 
like  a  bow  and  stretches  away  toward  India, 
leaving  room  for  the  lands  that  border  on  the 
mountains  on  both  sides  to  stretch  out  in 
such  a  way  as  to  have  between  them  these 
great  plains  which  are  full  of  cattle  and 
many  other  animals  of  different  sorts,  since 
they  are  not  inhabited,  as  I  will  relate 
farther  on.  There  is  every  sort  of  game  and 
fowl  there,  but  no  snakes,  for  they  are  free 
from  these.  I  will  leave  the  account  of  the 
return  of  the  army  to  New  Spain  until  I 
have  shown  what  slight  occasion  there  was 
for  this.  We  will  begin  our  account  with 
the  city  of  Culiacan,  and  point  out  the  differ 
ences  between  the  one  country  and  the  other, 
on  account  of  which  one  ought  to  be  settled 
by  Spaniards  and  the  other  not.  It  should 
be  the  reverse,  however,  with  Christians, 

1  The  Newfoundland  region. 
83 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO. 

since  there  are  intelligent  men  in  one,  and 
in  the  other  wild  animals  and  worse  than 
beasts. 

CHAPTER   I 

Of  the  province  of  Culiacan  and  of  its  habits  and 
customs. 

CULIACAN  is  the  last  place  in  the  New 
Kingdom  of  Galicia,  and  was  the  first  settle 
ment  made  by  Nuiio  de  Guzman  when  he 
conquered  this  kingdom.  It  is  210  leagues 
west  of  Mexico.  In  this  province  there  are 
three  chief  languages,  besides  other  related 
dialects.  The  first  is  that  of  the  Tahus, 
who  are  the  best  and  most  intelligent  race. 
They  are  now  the  most  settled  and  have  re 
ceived  the  most  light  from  the  faith.  They 
worship  idols  and  make  presents  to  the  devil 
of  their  goods  and  riches,  consisting  of  cloth 
and  turquoises.  They  do  not  eat  human 
flesh  nor  sacrifice  it.  They  are  accustomed 
to  keep  very  large  snakes,  which  they  ven 
erate.  Among  them  there  are  men  dressed 
like  women  who  marry  other  men  and  serve 
as  their  wives.  At  a  great  festival  they  con 
secrate  the  women  who  wish  to  live  unmar 
ried,  with  much  singing  and  dancing,  at 
which  all  the  chiefs  of  the  locality  gather 
and  dance  naked,  and  after  all  have  danced 
with  her  they  put  her  in  a  hut  that  has  been 
decorated  for  this  event  and  the  chiefs  adorn 
her  with  clothes  and  bracelets  of  fine  tur 
quoises,  and  then  the  chiefs  go  in  one  by 
84 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO. 

one  to  lie  with  her,  and  all  the  others  who 
wish,  follow  them.  From  this  time  on 
these  women  can  not  refuse  anyone  who 
pays  them  a  certain  amount  agreed  on  for 
this.  Even  if  they  take  husbands,  this  does 
not  exempt  them  from  obliging  anyone  who 
pays  them.  The  greatest  festivals  are  on 
market  days.  The  custom  is  for  the  hus 
bands  to  buy  the  women  whom  they  marry, 
of  their  fathers  and  relatives  at  a  high  price, 
and  then  to  take  them  to  a  chief,  who  is 
considered  to  be  a  priest,  to  deflower  them 
and  see  if  she  is  a  virgin ;  and  if  she  is  not, 
they  have  to  return  the  whole  price,  and  he 
can  keep  her  for  his  wife  or  not,  or  let  her 
be  consecrated,  as  he  chooses.  At  these 
times  they  all  get  drunk. 

The  second  language  is  that  of  the  Pac- 
axes,  the  people  who  live  in  the  country 
between  the  plains  and  the  mountains. 
These  people  are  more  barbarous.  Some  of 
them  who  live  near  the  mountains  eat  hu 
man  flesh.  They  are  great  sodomites,  and 
have  many  wives,  even  when  these  are  sis 
ters.  They  worship  painted  and  sculptured 
stones,  and  are  much  given  to  witchcraft  and 
sorcery. 

The  third  language  is  that  of  the  Acaxes, 
who  are  in  possession  of  a  large  part  of  the 
hilly  country  and  all  of  the  mountains. 
They  go  hunting  for  men  just  as  they  hunt 
animals.  They  all  eat  human  flesh,  and  he 
who  has  the  most  human  bones  and  skulls 
hung  up  around  his  house  is  most  feared  and 
85 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO. 

respected.  They  live  in  settlements  and  in 
very  rough  country,  avoiding  the  plains.  In 
passing  from  one  settlement  to  another,  there 
is  always  a  ravine  in  the  way  which  they 
can  not  cross,  although  they  can  talk  to 
gether  across  it.  At  the  slightest  call  500 
men  collect,  and  on  any  pretext  kill  and  eat 
one  another.  Thus  it  has  been  very  hard  to 
subdue  these  people,  on  account  of  the  rough 
ness  of  the  country,  which  is  very  great. 

Many  rich  silver  mines  have  been  found 
in  this  country.  They  do  not  run  deep,  but 
soon  give  out.  The  gulf  of  the  sea  begins 
on  the  coast  of  this  province,  entering  the 
land  250  leagues  toward  the  north  and  end 
ing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Firebrand  (Tizon) 
river.  This  country  forms  its  eastern  limit, 
and  California  the  western.  From  what  I 
have  been  told  by  men  who  had  navigated 
it,  it  is  30  leagues  across  from  point  to  point, 
because  they  lose  sight  of  this  country  when 
they  see  the  other.  They  say  the  gulf  is 
over  150  leagues  broad  (or  deep),  from  shore 
to  shore.  The  coast  makes  a  turn  toward 
the  south  at  the  Firebrand  river,  bending 
down  to  California,  which  turns  toward  the 
west,  forming  that  peninsula  which  was 
formerly  held  to  be  an  island,  because  it  was 
a  low  sandy  country.  It  is  inhabited  by 
brutish,  bestial,  naked  people  who  eat  their 
own  offal.  The  men  and  women  couple  like 
animals,  the  female  openly  getting  down  on 
all  fours. 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO. 


CHAPTER  II 

Of  the  province  of  Petlatlan  and  all  the  inhabited 
country  as  far  as  Chichilticalli. 

PETJLATLAN  is  a  settlement  of  houses  cov 
ered  with  a  sort  of  mats  made  of  plants. 
These  are  collected  into  villages,  extending 
along  a  river  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea. 
The  people  are  of  the  same  race  and  habits 
as  the  Culuacanian  Tahues.  There  is  much 
sodomy  among  them.  In  the  mountain  dis 
trict  there  is  a  large  population  and  more 
settlements.  These  people  have  a  somewhat 
diiferent  language  from  the  Tahues,  although 
they  understand  each  other.  It  is  called 
Petlatlau  because  the  houses  are  made  of 
petates  or  palm-leaf  mats.1  Houses  of  this 
sort  are  found  for  more  than  240  leagues  in 
this  region,  to  the  beginning  of  the  Cibola 
wilderness.  The  nature  of  the  country 
changes  here  very  greatly,  because  from  this 
point  on  there  are  no  trees  except  the  pine, 
nor  are  there  any  fruits  except  a  few  tunas,2 
mesquites,3  and  pitahayas.4 

Petlatlan  is  20  leagues  from  Culiacan,  and 

1  Bandelier  found   the   Opata   Indians  living   in 
houses  made  with  "a  slight  foundation  of  cobble 
stones  which  supported  a  framework  of  posts  stand 
ing  in  a  thin  wall  of  rough  stones  and  mud,  while  a 
slanting  roof  of  yucca  or  palm  leaves  covered  the 
whole."— Final  Report,  pt.  i.,  p.  58. 

2  The  Opuntia  tuna  or  prickly  pear. 

3  Prosopis  juliflora.  4  Cereus  tJmrberu. 

87 


THE  JOURNE17  OP  CORONADO. 

it  is  130  leagues  from  here  to  the  valley  of 
Seiiora.  There  are  many  rivers  between  the 
two,  with  settlements  of  the  same  sort  of 
people — for  example,  Sinoloa,  Boyomo,  Teo- 
como,  Yaquimi,  and  other  smaller  ones. 
There  is  also  the  Corazones  or  Hearts,  which 
is  in  our  possession,  dovm  the  valley  of  Se 
nora.1 

Senora  is  a  river  and  valley  thickly  settled 
by  able-bodied  people.  The  women  wear 
petticoats  of  tanned  deerskin,  and  little  san 
benitos  reaching  half  way  down  the  body, 
The  chiefs  of  the  villages  go  up  on  some  lit 
tle  heights  they  have  made  for  this  purpose, 
like  public  criers,  and  there  make  proclama 
tions  for  the  space  of  an  hour,  regulating 
those  things  they  have  to  attend  to.  They 
have  some  little  huts  for  shrines,  all  over  the 
outside  of  which  they  stick  many  arrows, 
like  a  hedgehog.  They  do  this  when  they 
are  eager  for  war.  All  about  this  province 
toward  the  mountains  there  is  a  large  popu 
lation  in  separate  little  provinces  containing 
ten  or  twelve  villages.  Seven  or  eight  of 
them,  of  which  I  know  the  names,  are  Comu- 
patrico,  Mochilagua,  Arispa,  and  the  Little 
Valley.  There  are  others  which  we  did  not 
see. 

It  is  40  leagues  from  Senora  to  the  valley 
of  Suya.  The  town  of  Saint  Jerome  (San 
Hieronimo)  was  established  in  this  valley, 
where  there  was  a  rebellion  later,  and  part 

1  Sonora. 
88 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

of  the  people  who  had  settled  there  were 
killed,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  third  part. 
There  are  many  villages  in  the  neighborhood 
of  this  valley.  The  people  are  the  same  as 
those  in  Seiiora  and  have  the  same  dress  and 
language,  habits,  and  customs,  like  all  the 
rest  as  far  as  the  desert  of  Chichilticalli. 
The  women  paint  their  chins  and  eyes  like 
the  Moorish  women  of  Barbary.  They  are 
great  sodomites.  They  drink  wine  made  of 
the  pitahaya,  which  is  the  fruit  of  a  great 
thistle  which  opens  like  the  pomegranate. 
The  wine  makes  them  stupid.  They  make 
a  great  quantity  of  preserves  from  the  tuna; 
they  preserve  it  in  a  large  amount  of  its  sap 
without  other  honey.  They  make  bread  of 
the  mesquite,  like  cheese,  which  keeps  good 
for  a  whole  year.1  There  are  native  melons 
in  this  country  so  large  that  a  person  can 
carry  only  one  of  them.  They  cut  these 
into  slices  and  dry  them  in  the  sun.  They 
are  good  to  eat,  and  taste  like  figs,  and  are 
better  than  dried  meat ;  they  are  very  good 
and  sweet,  keeping  for  a  whole  year  when 
prepared  in  this  way.2 

In   this    country    there    were    also    tame 


1  Bandolier,  Final  Report,  pt.  i.,  p.   Ill,  quotes 
from  the  Relaciones  of  Zarate-Salmeron,  of  some 
Arizona  Indians:  "Tambien  tienen  para  su  sustento 
Mescali  que  es  conserva  de  raiz  de  maguey."    The 
strong  liquor  is  made  from  the  root  of  the  Mexican 
or  American  agave. 

2  These  were  doubtless  cantaloupes.     The  south 
western  Indians  still  slice  and  dry  them  in  a  manner 
similar  to  that  here  described. 

89 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

eagles,  which  the  chiefs  esteemed  to  be 
something  tine.1  No  fowls  of  any  sort  were 
seen  in  any  of  these  villages  except  in  this 
valley  of  Suya,  where  fowls  like  those  of 
Castile  were  found.  Nobody  could  find  out 
how  they  came  to  be  so  far  inland,  the  peo 
ple  being  all  at  war  with  one  another.  Be 
tween  Suya  and  Chichilticalli  there  are 
many  sheep  and  mountain  goats  with  very 
large  bodies  and  horns.  Some  Spaniards 
declare  that  they  have  seen  flocks  of  more 
than  a  hundred  together,  which  ran  so  fast 
that  they  disappeared  very  quickly. 

At  Chichilticalli  the  country  changes  its 
character  again  and  the  spiky  vegetation 
ceases.  The  reason  is  that  the  gulf  reaches 
as  far  up  as  this  place,  and  the  mountain 
chain  changes  its  direction  at  the  same  time 
that  the  coast  does.  Here  they  had  to  cross 
and  pass  through  the  mountains  in  order  to 
get  into  the  level  country. 


CHAPTER  III 

Of  Chichilticalli  and  the  desert,  of  Cibola,  its  cus 
toms  and  habits,  and  of  other  things. 

CHICHILTICALLI  is  so  called  because  the 
friars  found  a  house  at  this  place  which  was 
formerly  inhabited  by  people  who  separated 
from  Cibola.  It  was  made  of  colored  or  red- 

1  The  Pueblo  Indians,  particularly  the  Zuni  and 
Hopi,  keep  eagles  for  their  feathers,  which  are  high 
ly  prized  because  of  their  reputed  sacred  character. 
90 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

dish  earth.1  The  house  was  large  and  ap 
peared  to  have  been  a  fortress.  It  must 
have  been  destroyed  by  the  people  of  the 
district,  who  are  the  most  barbarous  people 
that  have  yet  been  seen.  They  live  in  sepa 
rate  cabins  and  not  in  settlements.  They 
live  by  hunting.  The  rest  of  the  country  is 
all  wilderness,  covered  with  pine  forests. 
There  are  great  quantities  of  the  pine  nuts. 
The  pines  are  two  or  three  times  as  high  as 
a  man  before  they  send  out  branches.  There 
is  a  sort  of  oak  with  sweet  acorns,  of  which 
they  make  cakes  like  sugar  plums  with  dried 
coriander  seeds.  It  is  very  sweet,  like  sugar. 
Watercress  grows  in  many  springs,  and  there 
are  rosebushes,  and  pennyroyal,  and  wild 
marjoram. 

There  are  barbels  and  picones,  like  those 
of  Spain,  in  the  rivers  of  this  wilderness. 
Gray  lions  and  leopards  were  seen.2  The 
country  rises  continually  from  the  beginning 
of  the  wilderness  until  Cibola  is  reached, 
which  is  85  leagues,  going  north.  From 
Culiacan  to  the  edge  of  the  wilderness  the 
route  had  kept  the  north  on  the  left  hand. 

Cibola 3  is  seven  villages.     The  largest  is 

1  Chichiltic-calli,  a  red  object  or  house,  according 
to  Molina's  Vocabulario  Mexicano,  1555.     Bandelier, 
Historical  Introduction,  p.  11,  gives  references  to  the 
ancient  and  modern  descriptions. 

2  These  were  evidently  the  mountain  lion  and  the 
wild-cat. 

3  Albert  S.  Gatschet,  in  hisZwolf  Sprachen,  p.  106, 
says  that  this  word  is  now  to  be  found  only  in  the 
dialect  of  the  pueblo  of  Isleta,  under  the  form  sibii- 
lodii,  buffalo. 

91 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

called  Magaque.1  The  houses  are  ordinarily 
three  or  four  stories  high,*but  in  Macaque 
there  are  houses  with  four  and  seven  stories. 
These  people  are  very  intelligent.  They 
cover  their  privy  parts  and  all  the  immodest 
parts  with  cloths  made  like  a  sort  of  table 
napkin,  with  fringed  edges  and  a  tassel  at 
each  corner,  which  they  tie  over  the  hips. 
They  wear  long  robes  of  feathers  and  of  the 
skins  of  hares  and  cotton  blankets. a  The 
women  wear  blankets,  which  they  tie  or 
knot  over  the  left  shoulder,  leaving  the  right 
arm  out.  These  serve  to  cover  the  body. 
They  wear  a  neat  well-shaped  outer  garment 
of  skin.  They  gather  their  hair  over  the 
two  ears,  making  a  frame  which  looks  like 
an  old-fashioned  headdress.3 


1  Matsaki,  the  ruins  of  which  are  at  the  northwest 
ern   base   of  Thunder  mountain.     Sec  Bandelier's 
Final  Report,  pt.  i.,  p.   133,  and  ITodge,  First  Dis 
covered  City  of  Cibola. 

2  The  mantles  of  rabbit  hair  are  still  worn  at  Mold, 
but  those  of  turkey  plumes  are  out  of  use  altogether. 
See  Bandelier's  Final  Report,  pt.  i.,  pp.  37  and  158. 
They  used  also  the  fiber  of  the  yucca  u*ud  agave  for 
making  clothes. 

3 ,1.  G.  Owens,  Hopi  Natal  Ceremonies,  in  Journal 
of  American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology,  vol.  ii.,  p. 
165 11.,  says :  "  The  dress  of  the  Hopi  f  Mold,  or  Tusay- 
an]  women  consists  of  a  black  blanket  about  3£  feet 
square,  folded  around  the  body  from  the  left  side. 
It  passes  under  the  left  arm  and  over  the  right 
shoulder,  being  sewed  together  on  the  right  side, 
except  a  hole  about  3  inches  long  near  the  upper 
end  through  which  the  arm  is  thrust.  This  is  belted 
in  at  the  waist  by  a  sash  about  3  inches  wide.  Some 
times,  though  not  frequently,  a  shirt  is  worn  under 
this  garment,  and  a  piece  of  muslin,  tied  together  by 
two  adjacent  corners,  is  usually  nearby,  to  be  thrown 
92 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

This  country  is  in  a  valley  between  moun 
tains  in  the  form  of  isolated  cliffs.  They 
cultivate  the  corn,  which  does  not  grow  very 
high,  in  patches.  There  are  three  or  four 
large  fat  ears '  having  each  eight  hundred 
grains  on  every  stalk  growing  upward  from 
the  ground,  something  not  seen  before  in 
these  parts.  There  are  large  numbers  of 
bears  in  this  province,  and  lions,  wild-cats, 
deer,  and  otter.  There  are  very  fine  tur 
quoises,  although  not  so  many  as  was  re 
ported.  They  collect  the  pine  nuts  each 
year,  and  store  them  up  in  advance.  A 
man  does  not  have  more  than  one  wife. 
There  are  estufas  or  hot  rooms  in  the  villages, 
which  are  the  courtyards  or  places  where 
they  gather  for  consultation.  They  do  not 
have  chiefs  as  in  New  Spain,  but  are  ruled 
by  a  council  of  the  oldest  men.  They  have 
priests  who  preach  to  them,  whom  they  call 
papas.1  These  are  the  elders.  They  go  up 
on  the  highest  roof  of  the  village  and  preach 
to  the  village  from  there,  like  public  criers, 
in  the  morning  while  the  sun  is  rising,  the 
whole  village  being  silent  and  sitting  in  the 
galleries  to  listen.2  They  tell  them  how 

over  the  shoulders.     Most  of  the  women  have  moc 
casins,  which  they  put  on  at  certain  times." 

1  Papa    in  the    Zuni    language    signifies  "  elder 
brother,"  and  may  allude  either  to  age  or  to  rank. 

2  Dr.  J.  Walter  Fewkes,  in  his  Few  Summer  Cere 
monials  at  the  Tusayan  Pueblos,  p.  7,  describes  the 
Da'wa-wyrop-ki-yas,  a  small  number  of  priests  of 
the  sun.     Among  other  duties,  they  pray  to  the  ris 
ing  sun,  whose  course  they  are  said  to  watch,  and 
they  prepare  offerings  to  it. 

93 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

they  are  to  live,  a  ad  I  believe  that  they  give 
certain  commandments  for  them  to  keep,  for 
there  is  no  drunkenness  among  them  nor 
sodomy  nor  sacrifices,  neither  do  they  eat 
human  flesh  nor  steal,  but  they  are  usually 
at  work.  The  estufas  belong  to  the  whole 
village.  It  is  a  sacrilege  for  the  women  to 
go  into  the  estufas  to  sleep.1  They  make 
the  cross  as  a  sign  of  peace.  They  burn 
their  dead,  and  throw  the  implements  used 
in  their  work  into  the  fire  with  the  bodies.2 

1  In  his  Few  Summer  Ceremonials  at  Tusayan,  p. 
6,  Dr.  Fewkes  says  that  "  with  the  exception  of  their 
own  dances,  women  do  not  take  part  in  the  secret 
kibva  [estuf a]  ceremonials;  but  it  can  not  be  said 
that  they  are  debarred  entrance  as  assistants  in  mak 
ing  the  paraphernalia  of  the  dances,  or  when  they 
are  called  upon  to  represent  dramatizations  of  tra 
ditions  in  which  women  figure." 

2  Mr.  Frank  Hamilton  Gushing,  in  the  Compte- 
rendu  of  the  Congres  International  des  American- 
istes,  Berlin,  1888,  pp.  171-172,  speaking  of  the  exca 
vations  of  "  Los  Muertos  "  in  southern  Arizona,  says: 
"All  the    skeletons,    especially  of    adults   [in  the 
intramural  burials],  were,  with  but  few  exceptions, 
disposed  with  the  heads  to  the  east  and  slightly 
elevated  as  though  resting  on  pillows,  so  as  to  face 
the  west;  and  the  hands  were  usually  placed  at  the 
sides  or  crossed  over  the  breast.     With  nearly  all 
were  paraphernalia,  household  utensils,  articles  of 
adornment,    etc.     This    paraphernalia   quite    inva 
riably  partook  of  a  sacerdotal  character."     In  the 
pyral    mounds  outside   the  communal    dwellings, 
"each  burial  consisted  of  a  vessel,  large  or  small, 
according  to  the  age  of  the  person  whose  thoroughly 
cremated  remains  it  was  designed   to  receive,  to 
gether,  ordinarily,  with  traces  of  the  more  valued 
and  smaller  articles  of  personal  property  sacrificed 
at  the  time  of  cremation.     Over  each  such  vessel 
was  placed   cither  an    inverted  bowl  or  a  cover 
(roughly  rounded  by  chipping)  of  potsherds,  which 
latter,  in  most  cases,  showed  traces  of  having  been 

94 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

It  is  20  leagues  to  Tusayan,  going  north 
west.  This  is  a  province  with  seven  vil 
lages,  of  the  same  sort,  dress,  habits,  and 
ceremonies  as  at  Cibola.  There  may  be  as 
many  as  3,000  or  4,000  men  in  the  fourteen 
villages  of  these  two  provinces.  It  is  40 
leagues  or  more  to  Tiguex,  the  road  trending 

firmly  cemented,  by  means  of  mud  plaster,  to  the 
vessels  they  covered.  Again,  around  each  such  bur 
ial  were  found  always  from  two  or  three  to  ten  or  a 
dozen  broken  vessels,  often,  indeed,  a  complete  set; 
namely,  eating  and  drinking  bowls,  water- jar  and 
bottle,  pitcher,  spheroidal  food  receptacle,  ladles 
large  and  small,  and  cooking-pot.  Sometimes, 
however,  one  or  another  of  these  vessels  actually 
designed  for  sacrifice  with  the  dead,  was  itself  used 
as  the  recc-ptacle  of  his  or  her  remains.  In  every 
such  case  the  vessel  had  been  either  punctured  at 
the  bottom  or  on  one  side,  or  else  violently  cracked 
—from  Zuni  customs,  in  the  process  of  '  killing  '  it." 
The  remains  of  other  articles  were  around,  burned 
in  the  same  fire. 

Since  the  above  note  was  extracted,  excavations 
have  been  conducted  by  Dr.  J.  Walter  Fewkes  at 
the  prehistoric  Hopi  pueblo  of  Sikyatki,  an  exhaus 
tive  account  of  which  will  be  published  in  a  forth 
coming  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology.  Sikyat 
ki  is  located  at  the  base  of  the  First  Mesa  of 
Tusayau,  about  3  miles  from  llano.  The  house 
structures  were  situated  on  an  elongated  elevation, 
the  western  extremity  of  the  village  forming  a  sort 
of  acropolis.  On  the  northern,  western,  and  south 
ern  slopes  of  the  height,  outside  the  village  proper, 
cemeteries  were  found,  and  in  these  most  of  the 
excavations  were  conducted.  Many  graves  were 
uncovered  at  a  depth  varying  from  1  foot  to  10 
feet,  but  the  skeletons  were  in  such  condition  as  to 
be  practically  beyond  recovery.  Accompanying 
these  remains  were  hundreds  of  food  and  water  ves 
sels  in  great  variety  of  form  and  decoration,  and  in 
quality  of  texture  far  better  than  any  earthenware 
previously  recovered  from  a  pueblo  people.  With 
the  remains  of  the  priests  there  were  found,  in  addi- 
95 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

toward  the  north.  The  rock  of  Acuco, 
which  we  described  in  the  first  part,  is  be 
tween  these. 

CHAPTER  IV 

Of  how  they  live  at  Tiguex,  and  of  the  province 
of  Tiguex  and  its  neighborhood. 

TIGUEX  is  a  province  with  twelve  villages 
on  the  banks  of  a  large,  swift  river;  some 
villages  on  one  side  and  some  on  the  other. 

O 

It  is  a  spacious  valley  two  leagues  wide, 
and  a  very  high,  rough,  snow-covered  moun 
tain  chain  lies  east  of  it.  There  are  seven 
villages  in  the  ridges  at  the  foot  of  this — 
four  on  the  plain  and  three  situated  on  the 
skirts  of  the  mountain. 

There  are  seven  villages  7  leagues  to  the 
north  [i.e.  of  Tiguex],  at  Quirix,  and  the 
seven  villages  of  the  province  of  Hemes  are 
40  leagues  northeast.  It  is  four  leagues  north 
or  east  to  Acha.1  Tutahaco,  a  province 
with  eight  villages,  is  toward  the  southeast. 
In  general,  these  villages  all  have  the  same 

tion  to  the  usual  utensils,  terracotta  and  stone  pipes, 
beads,  prayer-sticks,  quartz  crystals,  arrowpoints, 
stone  and  shell  fetiches,  sacred  paint,  and  other 
paraphernalia  similar  to  that  used  by  the  Hopi  of 
today.  The  house  walls  were  constructed  of  small, 
flat  stones  brought  from  the  neighboring  mesa,  laid 
in  adobe  mortar  and  plastered  with  the  same  mate 
rial.  The  rooms  were  invariably  small,  averaging 
perhaps  8  feet  square,  and  the  walls  were  quite 
thin.  No  human  remains  were  found  in  the  houses, 
nor  were  an}^  evidences  of  cremation  observed. 
1  The  pueblo  of  Picuris. 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

habits  and  customs,  although  some  have 
some  things  in  particular  which  the  others 
have  not.1  They  are  governed  by  the  opin 
ions  of  the  elders.  They  all  work  together 
to  build  the  villages,  the  women  being  en 
gaged  in  making  the  mixture  and  the  walls, 
while  the  men  bring  the  wood  and  put  it  in 
place.2  They  have  no  lime,  but  they  make 
a  mixture  of  ashes,  coals,  and  dirt  which  is 
almost  as  good  as  mortar,  for  when  the  house 
is  to  have  four  stories,  they  do  not  make  the 
walls  more  than  half  a  yard  thick.  They 
gather  a  great  pile  of  twigs  of  thyme  and 

1  Bandelier  gives  a  general  account  of  the  internal 
condition  of  the  Pueblo  Indians,  with  references  to 
the  older  Spanish  writers,  in  his  Final  Report,  pt.  i., 
p.  135. 

2  Lewis  II.  Morgan,  in  his  Ruins  of  a  Stone  Pue 
blo,   Peabody  Museum  Reports,   vol.   xii.,  p.   541, 
says:  "Adobe  is  a  kind  of  pulverized  clay  with  a 
bond  of  considerable  strength  by  mechanical  cohe 
sion.     In  southern  Colorado,  in  Arizona,  and  New 
Mexico  there  are  immense  tracts  covered  writh  what 
is  called  adobe  soil.     It  varies  somewhat  in  the  de 
gree   of  its  excellence.     The  kind   of  which  they 
make  their  pottery  has  the  largest  per  cent,  of  alu 
mina,  and  its  presence  is  indicated  by  the  salt  weed 
which  grows  in  this  particular  soil.     This  kind  also 
makes  the  best  adobe  mortar.     The  Indians  use  it 
freely  in  laying  their  walls,  as  freely  as  our  masons 
use  lime  mortar;  and  although  it  never  acquires  the 
hardness  of  cement,  it  disintegrates   slowly.  .  .  . 
This  adobe  mortar  is  adapted  only  to  the  dry  cli 
mate  of  southern  Colorado,  Arizona,  and  New  Mexi 
co,  where    the  precipitation   is  less  than  5   inches 
per  annum.  .  .  .  To  the  presence  of  this  adobe  soil, 
found  in  such  abundance  in  the  regions  named,  and 
to  the  sandstone  of  the  bluffs,  where  masses  are 
often  found   in   fragments,  we  must  attribute  the 
great    progress  made  by  these    Indians  in  house 
building." 

97 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO. 

sedge  grass  and  set  it  afire,  and  when  it  is 
half  coals  and  ashes  they  throw  a  quantity 
of  dirt  and  water  on  it  and  mix  it  all  to 
gether.  They  make  round  balls  of  this, 
which  they  use  instead  of  stones  after  they 
are  dry,  fixing  them  with  the  same  mixture, 
which  comes  to  be  like  a  stiff  clay.  Before 
they  are  married  the  young  men  serve  the 
whole  village  in  general,  and  fetch  the  wood 
that  is  needed  for  use,  putting  it  in  a  pile  in 
the  courtyard  of  the  villages,  from  which 
the  women  take  it  to  carry  to  their  houses. 

The  young  men  live  in  the  estufas,  which 
are  in  the  yards  of  the  village.1  They  are 
underground,  square  or  round,  with  pine  pil 
lars.  Some  were  seen  with  twelve  pillars  and 
with  four  in  the  center  as  large  as  two  men 
could  stretch  around.  They  usually  had 
three  or  four  pillars.  The  floor  was  made  of 
large,  smocth  stones,  like  the  baths  which 
they  have  in  Europe.  They  have  a  hearth 
made  like  the  binnacle  or  compass  box  of  a 
ship,  in  which  they  burn  a  handful  of 

1  Bandelier  discusses  the  estufas  in  his  Final  Re 
port,  pt.  i.,  p.  144  ff.,  giving  quotations  from  the 
{Spanish  writers,  with  his  usual  wealth  of  footnotes. 
Dr.  Fewkes,  in  his  Zuni  Summer  Ceremonials,  says: 
"These  rooms  are  semisubterranean  (in  Zuni),  situ 
ated  on  the  first  or  ground  floor,  never,  so  far  as  I 
have  seen,  on  the  second  or  higher  stories.  They 
are  rectangular  or  square  rooms,  built  of  stone,  with 
openings  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  head  serv 
ing  as  windows,  and  still  preserve  the  old  form  of 
entrance  by  ladders  through  a  sky  hole  in  the  roof. 
Within,  the  estufas  have  bare  walls  and  are  unfur 
nished,  but  have  a  raised  ledge  about  the  walls, 
serving  as  seats." 

98 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

thyme  at  a  time  to  keep  up  the  heat,  and 
they  can  stay  in  there  just  as  in  a  bath. 
The  top  was  on  a  level  with  the  ground. 
Some  that  were  seen  were  large  enough  for 
a  game  of  ball.  When  any  man  wishes  to 
marry,  it  has  to  be  arranged  by  those  who 
govern.  The  man  has  to  spin  and  weave  a 
blanket  and  place  it  before  the  woman,  who 
covers  herself  with  it  and  becomes  his  wife. 
The  houses  belong  to  the  women,  the  estufas 
to  the  men.  If  a  man  repudiates  his  woman, 
he  has  to  go  to  the  estufa.  It  is  forbidden 
for  women  to  sleep  in  the  estufas,  or  to  enter 
these  for  any  purpose  except  to  give  their 
husbands  or  sons  something  to  eat.  The 
men  spin  and  weave.  The  women  bring  up 
the  children  and  prepare  the  food.  The 
country  is  so  fertile  that  they  do  not  have 
to  break  up  the  ground  the  year  round,  but 
only  have  to  sow  the  seed,  which  is  pres 
ently  covered  by  the  fall  of  snow,  and  the 
ears  come  up  under  the  snow.  In  one  year 
they  gather  enough  for  seven.  A  very  large 
number  of  cranes  and  wild  geese  and  crows 
and  starlings  live  on  what  is  sown,  and  for 
all  this,  when  they  come  to  sow  for  another 
year,  the  fields  are  covered  with  corn  which 
they  have  not  been  able  to  finish  gathering. 
There  are  a  great  many  natiyejow.1  in  these 
provinces,  and  cocks  with  great  hanging 
chins.1  When  dead,  these  keep  for  sixty 
days,  and  longer  in  winter,  without  losing 

1  The  American  turkey  cocks. 
99 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

their  feathers  or  opening,  and  without  any 
bad  smell,  and  the  same  is  true  of  dead  men. 

The  villages  are  free  from  nuisances,  be 
cause  they  go  outside  to  excrete,  and  they 
pass  their  water  into  clay  vessels,  which 
they  empty  at  a  distance  from  the  village.1 

They  keep  the  separate  houses  where  they 
prepare  the  food  for  eating  and  where  they 
grind  the  meal,  very  clean.  This  is  a  sepa 
rate  room  or  closet,  where  they  have  a  trough 
with  three  stones  fixed  in  stiff  clay.  Three 
women  go  in  here,  each  one  having  a  stone, 
with  which  one  of  them  breaks  the  corn,  the 
next  grinds  it,  and  the  thKcTgrinds  it  again.2 

*A  custom  still  common  at  Zufii  and  other  pue 
blos.  Before  the  introduction  of  manufactured  dyes 
the  Hopi  used  urine  as  a  mordant. 

2  Mr.  Owens,  in  the  Journal  of  American  Ethnol 
ogy  and  Archeology,  vol.  ii.,  p.  163  n.,  describes 
these  mealing  troughs:  "In  every  house  will  be 
found  a  trough  about  6  feet  long,  2  feet  wide, 
and  8  inches  deep,  divided  into  three  or  more 
compartments.  In  the  older  houses  the  sides  and 
partitions  are  made  of  stone  slabs,  but  in  some  of 
the  newer  ones  they  are  made  of  boards.  Within 
each  compartment  is  a  stone  (trap  rock  preferred) 
about  18  inches  long  and  a  foot  wide,  set  in  a 
bed  of  adobe  and  inclined  at  an  angle  of  about  35°. 
This  is  not  quite  in  the  center  of  the  compartment, 
but  is  set  about  inches  3  nearer  the  right  side 
than  the  left,  and  its  higher  edge  is  against  the  edge 
of  the  trough.  This  constitutes  the  nether  stone 
of  the  mill.  The  upper  stone  is  about  14  inches 
long,  3  inches  wide,  and  varies  in  thickness  ac 
cording  to  the  fineness  of  the  meal  desired.  The 
larger  stone  is  called  a  mata  and  the  smaller  one  a 
mataki.  The  woman  places  the  corn  in  the  trough, 
then  kneels  behind  it  and  grasps  the  mataki  in  both 
hands.  This  she  slides,  by  a  motion  from  the  back, 
back  and  forth  over  the  mata.  At  intervals  she  re- 
100 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

They  take  off  their  shoes,  do  up  their  hair, 
shake  their  clothes,  and  cover  their  heads 
before  they  enter  the  door.  A  man  sits  at 
the  door  playing  on  a  fife  while  they  grind, 
moving  the  stones  to  the  music  and  singing 
together.  They  grind  a  large  quantity  at 
one  time,  because  they  make  all  their  bread 
of  nieal  soaked  in  warm  water,  like  wafers. 
They  gather  a  great  quantity  of  brushwood 
and  dry  it  to  use  for  cooking  all  through  the 
year.  There  are  no  fruits  good  to  eat  in  the 
country,  except  the  pine  nuts.  They  have 
their  preachers.  Sodomy  is  not  found  among 
them.  They  do  not  eat  human  flesh  nor 
make  sacrifices  of  it.  The  people  are  not 
cruel,  for  they  had  Francisco  de  Ovando  in 
Tiguex  about  forty  days,  after  he  was  dead, 
and  when  the  village  was  captured,  he  was 
found  among  their  dead,  whole  and  without 
any  other  wound  except  the  one  which  killed 
him,  white  as  snow,  without  any  bad  smell. 
I  found  out  several  things  about  them  from 
one  of  our  Indians,  who  had  been  a  captive 
among  them  for  a  whole  year.  I  asked  him 
especially  for  the  reason  why  the  young 
women  in  that  province  went  entirely  naked, 

leases  her  hold  with  her  left  hand  and  with  it  places 
the  material  to  be  ground  upon  the  upper  end  of  the 
mata.  She  usually  sings  in  time  to  her  grinding 
motion." 

There  is  a  more  extended  account  of  these  troughs 
in  Miudeleff ' s  Pueblo  Architecture,  in  the  Eighth 
Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  p.  208.  This 
excellent  monograph,  with  its  wealth  of  illustra 
tions,  is  an  invaluable  introduction  to  any  study  of 
the  southwestern  village  Indians. 
101 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

however  cold  it  might  be,  and  he- told  me 
that  the  virgins  had  to  go  around  this  way 
until  they  took  a  husband,  and  that  they 
covered  themselves  after  they  had  known 
man.  The  men  here  wear  little  shirts  of 
tanned  deerskin  and  their  long  robes  over 
this.  In  all  these  provinces  they  have  earth 
enware  glazed  with  antimony  and  jars  of  ex 
traordinary  labor  and  workmanship,  which 
were  worth  seeing.1 


CHAPTER  V 

Of  Cicuye  and  the  villages  in  its  neighborhood, 
and  of  how  some  people  came  to  conquer  this  coun 
try. 

WE  have  already  said  that  the  people  of 
Tiguex  and  of  all  the  provinces  on  the  banks 
of  that  river  were  all  alike,  having  the  same 
ways  of  living  and  the  same  customs.  It 
will  not  be  necessary  to  say  anything  par 
ticular  about  them.  I  wish  merely  to  give 
an  account  of  Cicuye  and  some  depopulated 
villages  which  the  army  saw  on  the  direct 
road  which  it  followed  thither,  and  of  others 
that  were  across  the  snowy  mountains  near 
Tiguex,  which  also  lay  in  that  region  above 
the  river. 


1  See  W.  H.  Holmes,  Pottery  of  the  Ancient  Pue 
blos,  Fourth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Eth 
nology  ;  also  his  Illustrated  Catalogue  of  a  portion 
of  the  collections  made  during  the  field  season  of 
1881,  in  the  Third  Annual  Report. 
102 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Cicujj3 '  is  a  village  of  nearly  five  hun 
dred  warriors,  who  are  feared  throughout  that 
country.  It  is  square,  situated  on  a  rock, 
with  a  large  court  or  yard  in  the  middle, 
containing  the  estufas.  The  houses  are  all 
alike,  four  stories  high.  One  can  go  over 
the  top  of  the  whole  village  without  there 
being  a  street  to  hinder.  There  are  cor 
ridors  going  all  around  it  at  the  first  two 
stories,  by  which  one  can  go  around  the 
whole  village.  These  are  like  outside  bal 
conies,  and  they  are  able  to  protect  them 
selves  under  these.  The  houses  do  not  have 
doors  below,  but  they  use  ladders,  which  can 
be  lifted  up  like  a  drawbridge,  and  so  go  up 
to  the  corridors  which  are  on  the  inside  of 
the  village.  As  the  doors  of  the  houses 
open  on  the  corridor  of  that  story,  the  corri 
dor  serves  as  a  street.  The  houses  that  open 
on  the  plain  are  right  back  of  those  that 
open  on  the  court,  and  in  time  of  war  they 
go  through  those  behind  them.  The  village 
is  inclosed  by  a  low  wall  of  stone.  There  is 
a  spring  of  water  inside,  which  they  are  able 
to  divert.2  The  people  of  this  village  boast 
that  no  one  has  been  able  to  conquer  them 
and  that  they  conquer  whatever  villages  they 

1  Bandelier,  in  his  Visit  to  Pecos,  p.  114,  n  ,  states 
that  the  former  name  of  the  pueblo  was  Aquin,  and 
suggests  the  possibility  of  Castaneda  having  origi 
nally  written  Acuye.     The  Relacion  del  Suceso  has 
Acuique. 

2  The   spring  was  "  still  trickling  out  beneath  a 
massive  ledge  of  rocks  on  the  west  sill"  when  Ban- 
delier  sketched  it  in  1880. 

103 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

wish.  The  people  arid  their  customs  are  like 
those  of  the  other  villages.  Their  virgins 
also  go  nude  until  they  take  husbands,  be 
cause  they  say  that  if  they  do  anything 
wrong  then  it  will  be  seen,  and  so  they 
do  not  do  it.  They  do  not  need  to  be 
ashamed  because  they  go  around  as  they  were 
born. 

There  is  a  village,  small  and  strong,  be 
tween  Cicuye  and  the  province  of  Quirix, 
which  the  Spaniards  named  Ximena,1  and 
another  village  almost  deserted,  only  one  part 
of  which  is  inhabited.2  This  was  a  large 
village,  and  judging  from  its  condition  and 
newness  it  appeared  to  have  been  destroyed. 
They  called  this  the  village  of  the  granaries 
or  silos,  because  large  underground  cellars 
were  found  here  stored  with  corn.  There 
was  another  large  village  farther  on,  entirely 
destroyed  and  pulled  down,  in  the  yards  of 
which  there  were  many  stone  balls,  as  big  as 
12-quart  bowls,  which  seemed  to  have  been 
thrown  by  engines  or  catapults,  which  had 
destroyed  the  village.  All  that  I  was  able 
to  find  out  about  them  was  that,  sixteen 
years  before,  some  people  called  Teyas,3  had 

1  The  former  Tauo  pueblo  of  Galisteo,  a  mile  and 
a  half  northeast  of  the  present  town  of  the  same 
name,  in  Santa  Fe  county. 

3  According  to  Mota  Padilla,  this  was  called  Go- 
quite. 

3  These  Indians  were  seen  by  Coronado  during  his 
journey  across  the  plains.  As  Mr.  Hodge  has  sug 
gested,  they  may  have  been  the  Comanches,  who  on 
many  occasions  are  known  to  have  made  inroads  on 
the  pueblo  of  Pecos. 

104 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

coine  to  this  country  in  great  numbers  and 
had  destroyed  these  villages.  They  had  be 
sieged  Cicuye  but  had  not  been  able  to  cap 
ture  it,  because  it  was  strong,  and  when  they 
left  the  region,  they  had  made  peace  with 
the  whole  country.  It  seems  as  if  they  must 
have  been  a  powerful  people,  and  that  they 
must  have  had  engines  to  knock  down  the 
villages.  The  only  thing  they  could  tell 
about  the  direction  these  people  came  from 
was  by  pointing  toward  the  north.  They 
usually  call  these  people  Teyas  or  brave 
men,  just  as  the  Mexicans  say  chichimecas 
or  braves,  for  the  Teyas  whom  the  army 
saw  were  brave.  These  knew  the  people  in 
the  settlements,  and  were  friendly  with  them, 
and  they  (the  Teyas  of  the  plains)  went  there 
to  spend  the  winter  under  the  wings  of  the 
settlements.  The  inhabitants  do  not  dare 
to  let  them  come  inside,  because  they  can 
not  trust  them.  Although  they  are  received 
as  friends,  and  trade  with  them,  they  do 
not  stay  in  the  villages  over  night,  but 
outside  under  the  wings.  The  villages  are 
guarded  by  sentinels  with  trumpets,  who 
call  to  one  another  just  as  in  the  fortresses 
of  Spain. 

There  are  seven  other  villages  along  this 
route,  toward  the  snowy  mountains,  one  of 
which  has  been  half  destroyed  by  the  people 
already  referred  to.  These  were  under  the 
rule  of  Cicuye.  Cicuye  is  in  a  little  valley 
between  mountain  chains  and  mountains 
covered  with  large  pine  forests.  There  is  a 
105 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

little  stream  which  contains  very  good  trout 
and  otters,  and  there  are  very  large  bears 
and  good  falcons  hereabouts. 


CHAPTER   VI 

Which  gives  the  number  of  villages  which  were 
seen  in  the  country  of  the  terraced  houses,  and  their 
population. 

BEFORE  I  proceed  to  speak  of  the  plains, 
with  the  cows  and  settlements  and  tribes 
there,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  will  be  well  for 
the  reader  to  know  how  large  the  settlements 
were,  where  the  houses  with  stories,  gath 
ered  into  villages,  were  seen,  and  how  great 
an  extent  of  country  they  occupied.'  As 
I  say,  Cibola  is  the  first : 

Cibola,  seven  villages. 

Tusayan,  seven  villages. 

The  rock  of  Acuco,  one. 

Tiguex,  twelve  villages. 

Tutahaco,  eight  villages. 

These  villages  were  below  the  river. 

Quirix,2  seven  villages. 

1  Bandolier,  Final  Report,  pt.  i.,  p.  34.  "With  the 
exception  of  Acoma,  there  is  not  a  single  pueblo 
standing  where  it  was  at  the  time  of  Coronado,  or 
even  sixty  years  later,  when  Juan  de  Onate  accom 
plished  the  peaceable  reduction  of  the  New  Mexican 
village  Indians."     Compare  with  the  discussion  in 
this  part  of  his  Final  Report,  Mr.   Bandolier's  at 
tempt  to  identify  the  various  clusters  of  villages,  in 
his  Historical  Introduction,  pp.  22-24. 

2  The  Queres  district,  now  represented  by  Santo 
Domingo,  San  Felipe,  Santa  Ana,  Sia  (Castaneda's 

106 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

In  the  snowy  mountains,  seven  villages. 

Ximena,1  three  villages. 

Cicuye,  one  village. 

Hemes,2  seven  villages. 

Aguas  Calientes,2  or  Boiling  Springs,  three 
villages. 

Yuqueyunque,3  in  the  mountains,  six  vil 
lages. 

Valladolid,  called  Braba,4  one  village. 

Chia,B  one  village. 

In  all,  there  are  sixty-six  villages.  Tiguex 
appears  to  be  in  the  center  of  the  villages. 
Valladolid  is  the  farthest  up  the  river  tow 
ard  the  northeast.  The  four  villages  down 
the  river  are  toward  the  southeast,  because 
the  river  turns  toward  the  east."  It  is  130 
leagues — 10  more  or  less — from  the  farthest 
point  that  was  seen  down  the  river  to  the 
farthest  point  up  the  river,  and  all  the  settle 
ments  are  within  this  region.  Including 
those  at  a  distance,  there  are  sixty-six  vil 
lages  in  all,  as  I  have  said,  and  in  all  of 
them  there  may  be  some  20,000  men,  which 


Cliia),  and  Cochiti.  Acoma  and  Laguna,  to  the 
westward,  belong  to  the  same  linguistic  group. 
Laguna,  however,  is  a  modern  pueblo. 

1  One  of  these  was  the  Tano  pueblo  of  Galisteo,  as 
noted  on  page  523. 

2  The  Jemes  pueblo  clusters  in  San  Diego  and 
Guadaloupe  canyons.     See  pi.  LXX. 

3  The  Tewa  pueblo  of  Yugeuingge,  where  the  vil 
lage  of  Chamita,  above  Santa  Fe,  now  stands. 

4  Taos. 

5  The  Keres  or  Queres  pueblo  of  Sia. 

6  The  trend  of  the  river  in  the  section  of  the  old 
pueblo  settlements  is  really  westward. 

107 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

may  be  taken  to  be  a  Tair  estimate  of  the 
population  of  the  villages.  There  are  no 
houses  or  other  buildings  between  one  vil 
lage  and  another,  but  where  we  went  it  is 
entirely  uninhabited.  These  people,  since 
they  are  few,  and  their  manners,  govern 
ment,  and  habits  are  so  different  from  all  the 
nations  that  have  been  seen  and  discovered 
in  these  western  regions,  must  come  from 
that  part  of  Greater  India,  the  coast  of  which 
lies  to  the  west  of  this  country,  for  they 
could  have  come  down  from  that  country, 
crossing  the  mountain  chains  and  following 
down  the  river,  settling  in  what  seemed  to 
them  the  best  place.1  As  they  multiplied, 
they  kept  on  making  settlements  until  they 
lost  the  river  when  it  buried  itself  under 
ground,  its  course  being  in  the  direction  of 
Florida.  It  comes  down  from  the  northeast, 
where  they >J  could  certainly  have  found  signs 
of  villages.  He  preferred,  however,  to  follow 
the  reports  of  the  Turk,  but  it  would  have 
been  better  to  cross  the  mountains  where 
this  river  rises.  I  believe  they  would  have 
found  traces  of  riches  and  would  have  reached 
the  lands  from  which  these  people  started, 
which  from  its  location  is  on  the  edge  of 

1  The  Tusa}~an  Indians  belong  to  the  same  linguis 
tic  stock  as  the  Ute,  (Jomanche,  Shoshoiii,  Bannock, 
and  others.  The  original  habitat  of  the  main  body 
of  these  tribes  was  in  the  far  north,  although  certain 
clans  of  the  Tusayan  people  are  of  southern  origin. 
See  Powell,  Indian  Linguistic  Families,  7th  Annual 
Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  p.  108. 

a  The  Spaniards  under  Coronado. 
108 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

Greater  India,  although  the  region  is  neither 
known  nor  understood,  because  from  the 
trend  of  the  coast  it  appears  that  the  land 
between  Norway  and  China  is  very  far  up. 
The  country  from  sea  to  sea  is  very  wide, 
judging  from  the  location  of  both  coasts,  as 
well  as  from  what  Captain  Yillalobos  discov 
ered  when  he  went  in  search  of  China  by  the 
sea  to  the  west,1  and  from  what  has  been 
discovered  on  the  North  sea  concerning  the 
trend  of  the  coast  of  Florida  toward  the 
Bacallaos,  up  toward  Norway. 

To  return  then  to  the  proposition  with 
which  I  began,  I  say  that  the  settlements 
and  people  already  named  were  all  that  were 
seen  in  a  region  70  leagues  wide  and  130 
long,  in  the  settled  country  along  the  river 
Tiguex.  In  New  Spain  there  are  not  one 
but  many  establishments,  containing  a  larger 
number  of  people.  Silver  metals  were  found 
in  many  of  their  villages,  which  they  use  for 
glazing  and  painting  their  earthenware. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Which  treats  of  the  plains  that  were  crossed,  of 
the  cows,  and  of  the  people  who  inhabit  them. 

WE  have  spoken  of  the  settlements  of  high 
houses  which  are  situated  in  what  seems  to 
be  the  most  level  and  open  part  of  the  moun- 

1  See  the  Carta  escrita  por  Santisteban  a  Mendoza, 
which  tells  nearly  everything  that  is  known  of  the 
voyage  of  Villalobos.     We  can  only  surmise  what 
Castaneda  may  have  known  about  it. 
109 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

tains,  since  it  is  150  leagues  across  before 
entering  the  level  country  between  the  two 
mountain  chains  which  I  said  were  near 
the  North  sea  and  the  South  sea,  which 
might  better  be  called  the  Western  sea  along 
this  coast.  This  mountain  series  is  the  one 
which  is  near  the  South  sea.1  In  order  to 
show  that  the  settlements  are  in  the  middle 
of  the  mountains,  I  will  state  that  it  is  80 
leagues  from  Chichilticalli,  where  we  began 
to  cross  this  country,  to  Cibola;  from  Cibola, 
which  is  the  first  village,  to  Cicuye,  which 
is  the  last  on  the  way  across,  is  70  leagues; 
it  is  30  leagues  from  Cicuye  to  where  the 
plains  begin.  It  may  be  we  went  across  in 
an  indirect  or  roundabout  way,  which  would 
make  it  seem  as  if  there  was  more  country 
than  if  it  had  been  crossed  in  a  direct  line, 
and  it  may  be  more  difficult  and  rougher. 
This  can  not  be  known  certainly,  because 
the  mountains  change  their  direction  above 
the  bay  at  the  mouth  of  the  Firebrand 
(Tizon)  river. 

Now  we  will  speak  of  the  plains.  The 
country  is  spacious  and  level,  and  is  more 
than  400  leagues  wide  in  the  part  between 
the  two  mountain  ranges — one,  that  which 
Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado  crossed,  and  the 
other  that  which  the  force  under  Don  Fer 
nando  de  Soto  crossed,  near  the  North  sea, 
entering  the  country  from  Florida.  No  set 
tlements  were  seen  anywhere  on  these  plains. 

1  More  than  once  Castafieda  seems  to  be  addressing 
those  about  him  where  he  is  writing  in  Culiacan. 
110 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

In  traversing  250  leagues,  the  other  moun 
tain  range  was  not  seen,  nor  a  hill  nor  a 
hillock  which  was  three  times  as  high  as  a 
man.  Several  lakes  were  found  at  intervals ; 
they  were  round  as  plates,  a  stone's  throw 
or  more  across,  some  fresh  and  some  salt. 
The  grass  grows  tall  near  these  lakes ;  away 
from  them  it  is  very  short,  a  span  or  less. 
The  country  is  like  a  bowl,  so  that  when  a 
man  sits  down,  the  horizon  surrounds  him 
all  around  at  the  distance  of  a  musket  shot. 
There  are  no  groves  of  trees  except  at  the 
rivers,  which  flow  at  the  bottom  of  some 
ravines  where  the  trees  grow  so  thick  that 
they  were  not  noticed  until  one  was  right  on 
the  edge  of  them.  They  are  of  dead  earth. 
There  are  paths  down  into  these,  made  by 
the  cows  when  they  go  to  the  water,  which 
is  essential  throughout  these  plains. 

As  I  have  related  in  the  first  part,  people 
follow  the  cows,  hunting  them  and  tanning 
the  skins  to  take  to  the  settlements  in  the 
winter  to  sell,  since  they  go  there  to  pass 
the  winter,  each  company  going  to  those 
which  are  nearest,  some  to  the  settlements 
at  Cicuye,  others  toward  Quivira,  and  others 
to  the  settlements  which  are  situated  in  the 
direction  of  Florida.  These  people  are  called 
Querechos  and  Teyas.  They  described  some 
large  settlements,  and  judging  from  what 
was  seen  of  these  people  and  from  the  ac 
counts  they  gave  of  other  places,  there  are  a 
good  many  more  of  these  people  than  there 
are  of  those  at  the  settlements.  They  have 
111 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

better  figures,  are  better  warriors,  and  are 
more  feared.  They  travel  like  the  Arabs, 
with  their  tents  and  troops  of  dogs  loaded 
with  poles  l  and  having  Moorish  pack  saddles 
with  girths.  When  the  load  gets  disarranged, 
the  dogs  howl,  calling  some  one  to  fix  them 
right.  These  people  eat  raw  flesh  and  drink 
blood.  They  do  not  eat  human  flesh.  They 
are  a  kind  people  and  not  cruel.  They  are 
faithful  friends.  They  are  able  to  make 
themselves  very  well  understood  by  means 
of  signs.  They  dry  the  flesh  in  the  sun, 
cutting  it  thin  like  a  leaf,  and  when  dry  they 
grind  it  like  meal  to  keep  it  and  make  a  sort 
of  sea  soup  of  it  to  eat.  A  handful  thrown 
into  a  pot  swells  up  so  as  to  increase  very 
much.  They  season  it  with  fat,  which  they 
always  try  to  secure  when  they  kill  a  cow.2 
They  empty  a  large  gut  and  fill  it  with  blood, 
and  carry  this  around  the  neck  to  drink  when 
they  are  thirsty.  When  they  open  the  belly 
of  a  cow,  they  squeeze  out  the  chewed  grass 
and  drink  the  juice  that  remains  behind,  be 
cause  they  say  that  this  contains  the  essence 
of  the  stomach.  They  cut  the  hide  open  at 
the  back  and  pull  it  off  at  the  joints,  using 
a  flint  as  large  as  a  finger,  tied  in  a  little 
stick,  with  as  much  ease  as  if  working  with 
a  good  iron  tool.  They  give  it  an  edge  with 
their  own  teeth.  The  quickness  with  which 
they  do  this  is  something  worth  seeing  and 
noting. 

1  The  well  known  travels  of  the  plains  tribes. 

2  Pemmican. 

112 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

There  are  very  great  numbers  of  wolves 
on  these  plains,  which  go  around  with  the 
cows.  They  have  white  skins.  The  deer 
are  pied  with  white.  Their  skin  is  loose, 
so  that  when  they  are  killed  it  can  be  pulled 
off  with  the  hand  while  warm,  coming  off 
like  pigskin.  The  rabbits,  which  are  very 
numerous,  are  so  foolish  that  those  on  horse 
back  killed  them  with  their  lances.  This  is 
when  they  are  mounted  among  the  cows. 
They  fly  from  a  person  on  foot. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Of  Quivira,  of  where  it  is  and  some  information 
about  it. 

QUIVIRA  is  to  the  west  of  those  ravines,  in 
the  midst  of  the  country,  somewhat  nearer 
the  mountains  toward  the  sea,  for  the  coun 
try  is  level  as  far  as  Quivira,  and  there  they 
began  to  see  some  mountain  chains.  The 
country  is  well  settled.  Judging  from  what 
was  seen  on  the  borders  of  it,  this  country  is 
very  similar  to  that  of  Spain  in  the  varieties 
of  vegetation  and  fruits.  There  are  plums 
like  those  of  Castile,  grapes,  nuts,  mulber 
ries,  oats,  pennyroyal,  wild  marjoram,  and 
large  quantities  of  flax,  but  this  does  not  do 
them  any  good,  because  they  do  not  know 
how  to  use  it.1  The  people  are  of  almost 

1  Mr.  Savage,  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Nebraska 
Historical  Society,  vol.  i. ,  p.  198,  shows  how  closely 
the  descriptions  of  Castaneda,  Jaramillo,  and  the 
others  on  the  expedition,  harmonize  with  the  flora 
and  fauna  of  his  State. 

113 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  COKONADO 

the  same  sort  and  appearance  as  the  Teyas. 
They  have  villages  like  those  in  New  Spain. 
The  houses  are  round,  without  a  wall,  and 
they  have  one  story  like  a  loft,  under  the 
roof,  where  they  sleep  anJlSqHheir  belong 
ings.  The  roofs  are  of  straw.  There  are 
other  thickly  settled  provinces  around  it  con 
taining  large  numbers  of  men.  A  friar 
named  Juan  de  Padilla  remained  in  this 
province,  together  with  a  Spanish-Portuguese 
and  a  negro  and  a  half-blood  and  some  In 
dians  from  the  province  of  Capothan,  in  New 
Spain.  They  killed  the  friar  because  he 
wanted  to  go  to  the  province  of  the  Guas, 
who  were  their  enemies.  The  Spaniard  es 
caped  by  taking  flight  on  a  rnare,  and  after 
ward  reached  New  Spain,  coming  out  by 
way  of  Panuco.  The  Indians  from  New 
Spain  who  accompanied  the  friar  were 
allowed  by  the  murderers  to  bury  him,  and 
then  they  followed  the  Spaniard  and  over 
took  him.  This  Spaniard  was  a  Portuguese, 
named  Campo. 

The  great  river  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (Espiritu 
Santo),1  which  Don  Fernando  de  Soto  dis 
covered  in  the  country  of  Florida,  flows 
through  this  country.  It  passes  through  a 
province  called  Arache,  according  to  the 
reliable  accounts  which  were  obtained  here. 
The  sources  were  not  visited,  because,  ac 
cording  to  what  they  said,  it  comes  from  a 
very  distant  country  in  the  mountains  of  the 

1  The  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers. 
114 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

South  sea,  from  the  part  that  sheds  its  waters 
onto  the  plaius.  It  flows  across  all  the  level 
country  and  breaks  through  the  mountains 
of  the  North  sea,  and  comes  out  where  the 
people  with  Don  Fernando  de  Soto  navigated 
it.  This  is  more  than  300  leagues  from 
where  it  enters  the  sea.  On  account  of  this, 
and  also  because  it  has  large  tributaries,  it 
is  so  mighty  when  it  enters  the  sea  that  they 
lost  sight  of  the  land  before  the  water  ceased 
to  be  fresh.1 

This  country  of  Quivira  was  the  last  that 
was  seen,  of  which  I  am  able  to  give  any 
description  or  information.  Now  it  is  proper 
for  me  to  return  and  speak  of  the  army, 
which  I  left  in  Tiguex,  resting  for  the  win 
ter,  so  that  it  would  be  able  to  proceed  or  re 
turn  in  search  of  these  settlements  of  Quivira, 
which  was  not  accomplished  after  all,  because 
it  was  God's  pleasure  that  these  discoveries 
should  remain  for  other  peoples  and  that  we 
who  had  been  there  should  content  ourselves 
with  saying  that  we  were  the  first  who  dis 
covered  it  and  obtained  any  information  con 
cerning  it,  just  as  Hercules  knew  the  site 
where  Julius  Csesar  was  to  found  Seville  or 
Hispales.  May  the  all-powerful  Lord  grant 
that  His  will  be  done  in  everything.  It  is 
certain  that  if  this  had  not  been  His  will 
Francisco  Vazquez  would  not  have  returned 
to  New  Spain  without  cause  or  reason,  as  he 
did ,  and  that  it  would  not  have  been  left  for 

1  This  is  probably  a  reminiscence  of  Cabeza  de  Va- 
ca's  narrative. 

115 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  COUONADO 

those  with  Don  Fernando  de  Soto  to  settle 
such  a  good  country,  as  they  have  done,  and 
besides  settling  it  to  increase  its  extent,  after 
obtaining,  as  they  did,  information  from  our 
army.1 

1  Mota  Padilla,  cap.  xxxiii.,  4,  p.  166,  gives  his 
reasons  for  the  failure  of  the  expedition:  "It  was 
most  likely  the  chastisement  of  God  that  riches  were 
not  found  on  this  expedition,  because,  \vhen  this 
ought  to  have  been  the  secondary  object  of  the  ex 
pedition,  and  the  conversion  of  all  those  heathen 
their  first  aim,  they  bartered  with  fate  and  strug 
gled  after  the  secondary ;  and  thus  the  misfortune 
is  not  so  much  that  all  those  labors  were  without 
fruit,  but  the  worst  is  that  such  a  number  of  souls 
have  remained  in  their  blindness. " 


116 


THIRD   PART 

WHICH  DESCRIBES  WHAT  HAPPENED  TO 
FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ  CORONADO  DURING 
THE  WINTER,  AND  How  HE  GAVE  UP 
THE  EXPEDITION  AND  KETURNED  TO  NEW 
SPAIN. 

Laus  Deo. 

CHAPTER  I 

Of  how  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar  came  from  Sefiora 
with  some  men,  and  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas 
started  back  to  New  Spain. 

AT  the  end  of  the  first  part  of  this  book, 
we  told  how  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado, 
when  he  got  back  from  Quivira,  gave  orders 
to  winter  at  Tiguex,  in  order  to  return,  when 
the  winter  was  over,  with  his  whole  army 
to  discover  all  the  settlements  in  those 
regions.  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar,  who  had 
gone,  as  we  related,  to  conduct  a  force  from 
the  city  of  Saint  Jerome  (San  Hieronimo), 
arrived  in  the  meantime  with  the  men  whom 
he  had  brought.  He  had  not  selected  the 
rebels  and  seditious  men  there,  but  the  most 
experienced  ones  and  the  best  soldiers — men 
whom  he  could  trust — wisely  considering 
that  he  ought  to  have  good  men  in  order  to 
go  in  search  of  his  general  in  the  country  of 
the  Indian  called  Turk. 
117 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Although  they  found  the  array  at  Tiguex 
when  they  arrived  there,  this  did  not  please 
them  much,  because  they  had  come  with 
great  expectations,  believing  that  they  would 
find  their  general  in  the  rich  country  of  the 
Indian  called  Turk.  They  consoled  them 
selves  with  the  hope  of  going  back  there, 
and  lived  in  anticipation  of  the  pleasure  of 
undertaking  this  return  expedition,  which 
the  army  would  soon  make  to  Quivira.  Don 
Pedro  de  Tovar  brought  letters  from  New 
Spain,  both  from  the  viceroy,  Don  Antonio 
de  Mendoza,  and  from  individuals.  Among 
these  was  one  from  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de 
Cardenas,  which  informed  him  of  the  death 
of  his  brother,  the  heir,  and  summoned  him 
to  Spain  to  receive  the  inheritance.  On  this 
account  lie  was  given  permission,  and  left 
Tiguex  with  several  other  persons  who  re 
ceived  permission  to  go  and  settle  their  affairs. 
There  were  many  others  who  would  have 
liked  to  go,  but  did  not,  in  order  not  to  ap 
pear  faint-hearted.  During  this  time  the 
general  endeavored  to  pacify  several  villages 
in  the  neighborhood  which  were  not  well 
disposed,  and  to  make  peace  with  the  people 
at  Tiguex.  He  tried  also  to  procure  some  of 
the  cloth  of  the  country,  because  the  soldiers 
were  almost  naked  and  poorly  clothed,  full 
of  lice,  which  they  were  unable  to  get  rid  of 
or  avoid. 

The  general,  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado, 
had  been  beloved  and  obeyed  by  his  captains 
and  soldiers  as  heartily  as  any  of  those  who 
118 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

have  ever  started  out  in  the  Indies.  Neces 
sity  knows  no  law,  and  the  captains  who 
collected  the  cloth  divided  it  badly,  taking 
the  best  for  themselves  and  their  friends  and 
soldiers,  and  leaving  the  rest  for  the  soldiers, 
and  so  there  began  to  be  some  angry  mur 
muring  on  account  of  this.  Others  also  com 
plained  because  they  noticed  that  some  fa 
vored  ones  were  spared  in  the  work  and  in 
the  watches  and  received  better  portions  of 
what  was  divided,  both  of  cloth  and  rood. 
On  this  account  it  is  thought  that  they  be 
gan  to  say  that  there  was  nothing  in  the 
country  of  Quivira  which  was  worth  return 
ing  for,  which  was  no  slight  cause  of  what 
afterward  happened,  as  will  be  seen. 


CHAPTER   II 

Of  the  general's  fall,  and  of  how  the  return  to 
New  Spain  was  ordered. 

AFTER  the  winter  was  over,  the  return  to 
Quivira  was  announced,  and  the  men  began 
to  prepare  the  things  needed.  Since  noth 
ing  in  this  life  is  at  the  disposition  of  men, 
but  all  is  under  the  ordination  of  Almighty 
God,  it  was  His  will  that  we  should  not  ac 
complish  this,  and  so  it  happened  that  one 
feast  day  the  general  went  out  on  horseback 
to  amuse  himself,  as  usual,  riding  with  the 
captain  Don  Eodrigo  Maldonado.  He  was 
on  a  powerful  horse,  and  his  servants  had 
119 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  COKONADO 

put  on  a  new  girth,  which  must  have  been 
rotten  at  the  time,  for  it  broke  during  the 
race  and  he  fell  over  on  the  side  where  Don 
Eodrigo  was,  and  as  his  horse  passed  over 
him  it  hit  his  head  with  its  hoof,  which  laid 
him  at  the  point  of  death,  and  his  recovery 
was  slow  and  doubtful. 

During  this  time,  while  he  was  in  his  bed, 
Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas,  who  had 
started  to  go  to  New  Spain,  came  back  in 
flight  from  Suva,  because  he  had  found  that 
town  deserted  and  the  people  and  horses  and 
cattle  all  dead.  When  he  reached  Tiguex 
and  learned  the  sad  news  that  the  general 
was  near  his  end,  as  already  related,  they  did 
not  dare  to  tell  him  until  he  had  recovered, 
and  when  he  finally  got  up  and  learned  of 
it,  it  affected  him  so  much  that  he  had  to  go 
back  to  bed  again.  He  may  have  done  this 
in  order  to  bring  about  what  he  afterward 
accomplished,  as  was  believed  later. 

It  was  while  he  was  in  this  condition  that 
he  recollected  what  a  scientific  friend  of  his 
in  Salamanca  had  told  him,  that  he  would 
become  a  powerful  lord  in  distant  lands,  and 
that  he  would  have  a  fall  from  which  he 
would  never  be  able  to  recover.  This  ex 
pectation  of  death  made  him  desire  to  return 
and  die  where  he  had  a  wife  and  children. 
As  the  physician  and  surgeon  who  was  doc 
toring  him,  and  also  acted  as  a  talebearer, 
suppressed  the  murmurings  that  were  going 
about  among  the  soldiers,  he  treated  secretly 
and  underhandedly  with  several  gentlemen 
120 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

who  agreed  with  him.  They  set  the  sol 
diers  to  talking  about  going  back  to  New 
Spain,  in  little  knots  and  gatherings,  and 
induced  them  to  hold  consultations  about  it, 
and  had  them  send  papers  to  the  general, 
signed  by  all  the  soldiers,  through  their  en 
signs,  asking  for  this.  They  all  entered  into 
it  readily,  and  not  much  time  needed  to  be 
spent,  since  many  desired  it  already.  When 
they  asked  him,  the  general  acted  as  if  he 
did  not  want  to  do  it,  but  all  the  gentlemen 
and  captains  supported  them,  giving  him 
their  signed  opinions,  and  as  some  were  in 
this,  they  could  give  it  at  once,  and  they 
even  persuaded  others  to  do  the  same. 

Thus  they  made  it  seem  as  if  they  ought 
to  return  to  New  Spain,  because  they  had 
not  found  any  riches,  nor  had  they  discov 
ered  any  settled  country  out  of  which  estates 
could  be  formed  for  all  the  army.  When  he 
had  obtained  their  signatures,  the  return  to 
New  Spain  was  at  once  announced,  and  since 
nothing  can  ever  be  concealed,  the  double 
dealing  began  to  be  understood,  and  many 
of  the  gentlemen  found  that  they  had  been 
deceived  and  had  made  a  mistake.  They 
tried  in  every  way  to  get  their  signatures 
back  again  from  the  general,  who  guarded 
them  so  carefully  that  he  did  not  go  out  of 
one  room,  making  his  sickness  seem  very 
much  worse,  and  putting  guards  about  his 
person  and  room,  and  at  night  about  the 
floor  on  which  he  slept.  In  spite  of  all  this, 
they  stole  his  chest,  and  it  is  said  that  they 
121 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

did  not  find  their  signatures  in  it,  because 
he  kept  them  in  his  mattress;  on  the  other 
hand,  it  is  said  that  they  did  recover  them. 
They  asked  the  general  to  give  them  60 
picked  men,  with  whom  they  would  remain 
and  hold  the  country  until  the  viceroy  could 
send  them  support,  or  recall  them,  or  else 
that  the  general  would  leave  them  the  army 
and  pick  out  60  men  to  go  back  with  him. 
But  the  soldiers  did  not  want  to  remain 
either  way,  some  because  they  had  turned 
their  prow  toward  New  Spain,  and  others 
because  they  saw  clearly  the  trouble  that 
would  arise  over  who  should  have  the  com 
mand.  The  gentlemen,  I  do  not  know 
whether  because  they  had  sworn  fidelity  or 
because  they  feared  that  the  soldiers  would 
not  support  them,  did  what  had  been  decided 
on,  although  with  an  ill-will,  and  from  this 
time  on  they  did  not  obey  the  general  as 
readily  as  formerly,  and  they  did  not  show 
any  affection  for  him.  He  made  much  of 
the  soldiers  and  humored  them,  with  the 
result  that  he  did  what  he  desired  and  se 
cured  the  return  of  the  whole  army. 


CHAPTER  III 

Of  the  rebellion  at  Suya  arid  the  reasons  the  set 
tlers  gave  for  it. 

WE  have  already  stated  in  the  last  chap 
ter  that  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  carne 
back  from  Suya  in  flight,  having  found  that 
122 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

country  risen  in  rebellion.  He  told  how 
and  why  that  town  was  deserted,  which  oc 
curred  as  I  will  relate.  The  entirely  worth 
less  fellows  were  all  who  had  been  left  in 
that  town,  the  mutinous  and  seditious  men, 
besides  a  few  who  were  honored  with  the 
charge  of  public  affairs  and  who  were  left  to 
govern  the  others.  Thus  the  bad  disposi 
tions  of  the  worthless  secured  the  power, 
and  they  held  daily  meetings  and  councils 
and  declared  that  they  had  been  betrayed  and 
were  not  going  to  be  rescued,  since  the  others 
had  been  directed  to  go  through  another  part 
of  the  country,  where  there  was  a  more  con 
venient  route  to  New  Spain,  which  was  not 
so  because  they  were  still  almost  on  the 
direct  road.  This  talk  led  some  of  them  to 
revolt,  and  they  chose  one  Pedro  de  Avila  as 
their  captain. 

They  went  back  to  Culiacan,  leaving  the 
captain,  Diego  de  Alcaraz,  sick  in  the  town 
of  San  Hieronimo,  with  only  a  small  force. 
He  did  not  have  anyone  whom  he  could 
send  after  them  to  compel  them  to  return. 
They  killed  a  number  of  people  at  several 
villages  along  the  way.  Finally  they  reached 
Culiacan,  where  Hernando  Arias  de  Saabedra, 
who  was  waiting  for  Juan  Gallego  to  come 
back  from  New  Spain  with  a  force,  detained 
them  by  means  of  promises,  so  that  Gallego 
could  take  them  back.  Some  who  feared 
what  might  happen  to  them  ran  away  one 
night  to  New  Spain.  Diego  de  Alcaraz, 
who  had  remained  at  Suya  with  a  small 
123 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

force,  sick,  was  not  able  to  bold  bis  position, 
although  be  would  have  liked  to,  011  account 
of  the  poisonous  herb  which  the  natives  use. 
When  these  noticed  how  weak  the  Spaniards 
were,  they  did  not  continue  to  trade  with 
them  as  they  formerly  had  done.  Veins  of 
gold  had  already  been  discovered  before  this, 
but  they  were  unable  to  work  these,  because 
the  country  was  at  war.  The  disturbance 
was  so  great  that  they  did  not  cease  to  keep 
watch  and  to  be  more  than  usually  careful. 

The  town  was  situated  on  a  little  river. 
One  night  all  of  a  sudden  they  saw  fires 
which  tbey  were  not  accustomed  to,  and  on 
this  account  they  doubled  the  watches,  but 
not  having  noticed  anything  during  the 
whole  night,  they  grew  careless  along  toward 
morning,  and  the  enemy  entered  the  village 
so  silently  that  they  were  not  seen  until  they 
began  to  kill  and  plunder.  A  number  of 
men  reached  the  plain  as  well  as  they  could, 
but  while  they  were  getting  out  the  captain 
was  mortally  wounded.  Several  Spaniards 
came  back  on  some  horses  after  they  had  re 
covered  themselves  and  attacked  the  enemy, 
rescuing  some,  though  only  a  few.  The 
enemy  went  off  with  the  booty,  leaving  three 
Spaniards  killed,  besides  many  of  the  ser 
vants  and  more  than  twenty  horses. 

The  Spaniards  who  survived  started  off 
the  same  day  on  foot,  not  having  any  horses. 
They  went  toward  Culiacan,  keeping  away 
from  the  roads,  and  did  not  find  any  food 
until  they  reached  Corazones,  where  the  In- 
124 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

dians,  like  the  good  friends  they  have  always 
been,  provided  them  with  food.  From  here 
they  continued  to  Culiacan^  undergoing  great 
hardships.  Hernandarias  de  Saabedra,  the 
mayor,  received  them  and  entertained  them 
as  well  as  he  could  until  Juan  Gallego  ar 
rived  with  the  reinforcements  which  he  was 
conducting,  on  his  way  to  find  the  army. 
He  was  not  a  little  troubled  at  finding  that 
post  deserted,  when  he  expected  that  the 
army  would  be  in  the  rich  country  which  had 
been  described  by  the  Indian  called  Turk,  be 
cause  he  looked  like  one. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Of  how  Friar  Juan  dc  Padilla  and  Friar  Luis  re 
mained  in  the  country  and  the  army  prepared  to  re 
turn  to  Mexico. 

WHEN  the  general,  Francisco  Vazquez, 
saw  that  everything  was  now  quiet,  and  that 
his  schemes  had  gone  as  he  wished,  he  or 
dered  that  everything  should  be  ready  to 
start  on  the  return  to  New  Spain  by  the  be 
ginning  of  the  month  of  April,  in  the  year 
1543.1 

Seeing  this,  Friar  Juan  de  Padilla,  a  regu 
lar  brother  of  the  lesser  order,8  and  another, 
Friar  Luis,  a  lay  brother,  told  the  general 
that  they  wanted  to  remain  in  that  country 

1  The  correct  date  is,  of  course,  1542. 

2  A  Franciscan.     He  was  a  "frayle  de  misa." 

125 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

—Friar  Juan  de  Padilla  in  Quivira,  because 
his  teachings  seemed  to  promise  fruit  there, 
and  Friar  Luis  at  Cicuye.  On  this  account, 
as  it  was  Lent  at  the  time,  the  father  made 
this  the  subject  of  his  sermon  to  the  com 
panies  one  Sunday,  establishing  his  proposi 
tion  on  the  authority  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
He  declared  his  zeal  for  the  conversion  of 
these  peoples  and  his  desire  to  draw  them 
to  the  faith,  and  stated  that  he  had  received 
permission  to  do  it,  although  this  was  not 
necessary.  The  general  sent  a  company  to 
escort  them  as  far  as  Cicuye,  where  Friar 
Luis  stopped,  while  Friar  Juan  went  on  back 
to  Quivira  with  the  guides  who  had  con 
ducted  the  general,  taking  with  him  the 
Portuguese,  as  we  related,  and  the  half-blood, 
and  the  Indians  from  New  Spain.  He  was 
martyred  a  short  time  after  he  arrived  there, 
as  we  related  in  the  second  part,  chapter  8. 
Thus  we  may  be  sure  that  he  died  a  martyr, 
because  his  zeal  was  holy  and  earnest. 

Friar  Luis  remained  at  Cicuye.  Nothing 
more  has  been  heard  about  him  since,  but 
before  the  army  left  Tiguex  some  men  who 
went  to  take  him  a  number  of  sheep  that 
were  left  for  him  to  keep,  met  him  as  he  was 
on  his  way  to  visit  some  other  villages,  which 
were  15  or  20  leagues  from  Cicuye,  accom 
panied  by  some  followers.  He  felt  very 
hopeful  that  he  was  liked  at  the  village  and 
that  his  teaching  would  bear  fruit,  although 
he  complained  that  the  old  men  were  falling 
away  from  him.  I,  for  my  part,  believe 
126 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

that  as  he  was  a  man  of  good  and  holy  life, 
Our  Lord  will  protect  him  and  give  him 
grace  to  convert  many  of  those  peoples,  and 
end  his  days  in  guiding  them  in  the  faith. 
We  do  not  need  to  believe  otherwise,  for 
the  people  in  those  parts  are  pious  and  not 
at  all  cruel.  They  are  friends,  or  rather, 
enemies  of  cruelty,  and  they  remain  faithful 
and  loyal  friends.1 

1  Gen.  W.  W.  H.  Davis,  in  his  Spanish  Conquest 
of  New  Mexico,  p.  231,  gives  the  following  extract, 
translated  from  an  old  Spanish  MS.  at  Santa  Fe : 
"  When  Coronado  returned  to  Mexico,  he  left  behind 
him,  among  the  Indians  of  Cibola,  the  father  fray 
Francisco  Juan  de  Padilla,  the  father  fray  Juan  de 
la  Cruz,  and  a  Portuguese  named  Andres  del  Cam- 
po.  Soon  after  the  Spaniards  departed,  Padilla  and 
the  Portuguese  set  off  in  search  of  the  country  of  the 
Grand  Quivira,  where  the  former  understood  there 
were  innumerable  souls  to  be  saved.  After  travel 
ling  several  days,  they  reached  a  large  settlement  in 
the  Quivira  country.  The  Indians  came  out  to  re 
ceive  them  in  battle  array,  when  the  friar,  knowing 
their  intentions,  told  the  Portuguese  and  his  attend 
ants  to  take  to  flight,  while  he  would  await  their 
coining,  in  order  that  they  might  vent  their  fury  on 
him  as  they  ran.  The  former  took  to  flight,  and, 
placing  themselves  on  a  height  within  view,  saw 
what  happened  to  the  friar.  Padilla  awaited  their 
coming  upon  his  knees,  and  when  they  arrived 
where  he  was  they  immediately  put  him  to  death. 
The  same  happened  to  Juan  de  la  Cruz,  who  was 
left  behind  at  Cibola,  which  people  killed  him. 
The  Portuguese  and  his  attendants  made  their  es 
cape,  and  ultimately  arrived  safely  in  Mexico,  where 
he  told  what  had  occurred."  In  reply  to  a  request 
for  further  information  regarding  this  manuscript, 
General  Davis  stated  that  when  he  revisited  Santa 
Fe,  a  few  years  ago,  he  learned  that  one  of  his  suc 
cessors  in  the  post  of  governor  of  the  territory,  hav 
ing  despaired  of  disposing  of  the  immense  mass  of 
old  documents  and  records  deposited  in  his  office, 
127 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

After  the  friars  had  gone,  the  general,  fear 
ing  that  they  might  be  injured  if  people  were 
carried  away  from  that  country  to  New 
Spain,  ordered  the  soldiers  to  let  any  of  the 
natives  who  were  held  as  servants  go  free  to 
their  villages  whenever  they  might  wish.  In 
my  opinion,  though  I  am  not  sure,  it  would 
have  been  better  if  they  had  been  kept  and 
taught  among  Christians. 

The  general  was  very  happy  and  contented 
when  the  time  arrived  and  everything  needed 
for  the  journey  was  ready,  and  the  army 
started  from  Tiguex  on  its  way  back  to 
Cibola.  One  thing  of  no  small  note  hap 
pened  during  this  part  of  the  trip.  The 
horses  were  in  good  condition  for  their  work 
when  they  started,  fat  and  sleek,  but  more 
than  thirty  died  during  the  ten  days  which 
it  took  to  reach  Cibola,  and  there  was  not  a 
day  in  which  two  or  three  or  more  did  not 
die.  A  large  number  of  them  also  died 

by  the  slow  process  of  using  them  to  kindle  fires, 
had  sold  the  entire  lot — an  invaluable  collection  of 
material  bearing  on  the  history  of  the  southwest  and 
its  early  European  and  native  inhabitants — as  junk. 
When  the  reports  of  these  martyrdoms  reached 
New  Spain,  a  number  of  Franciscans  were  fired  with 
the  zeal  of  entering  the  country  and  carrying  on  the 
work  thus  begun.  Several  received  official  permis 
sion,  and  went  to  the  pueblo  country.  One  of  them 
was  killed  at  Tiguex,  where  most  of  them  settled. 
A  few  went  on  to  Cicuye  or  Pecos,  where  they 
found  a  cross  which  Padilla  had  set  up.  Proceed 
ing  to  Quivira,  the  natives  there  counselled  them 
not  to  proceed  farther.  The  Indians  gave  them  an 
account  of  the  death  of  Fray  Padilla,  and  said  that 
if  he  had  taken  their  advice  he  would  not  have  been 
killed. 

128 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

afterward  before  reaching  Culiacau,  a  thing 
that  did  not  happen  during  all  the  rest  of 
the  journey. 

After  the  army  reached  Cibola,  it  rested 
before  starting  across  the  wilderness,  because 
this  was  the  last  of  the  settlements  in  that 
country.  The  whole  country  was  left  well 
disposed  and  at  peace,  and  several  of  our  In 
dian  allies  remained  there. 


CHAPTER  V 

Of  how  the  army  left  the  settlements  and  marched 
to  Culiacan,  and  of  what  happened  on  the  way. 

LEAVING  astern,  as  we  might  say,  the  set 
tlements  that  had  been  discovered  in  the  new 
land,  of  which,  as  I  have  said,  the  seven  vil 
lages  of  Cibola  were  the  first  to  be  seen  and 
the  last  that  were  left,  the  army  started  off, 
marching  across  the  wilderness.  The  na 
tives  kept  following  the  rear  of  the  army  for 
two  or  three  days,  to  pick  up  any  baggage 
or  servants,  for  although  they  were  still  at 
peace  and  had  always  been  loyal  friends, 
when  they  saw  that  we  were  going  to  leave 
the  country  entirely,  they  were  glad  to  get 
some  of  our  people  in  their  power,  although 
I  do  not  think  that  they  wanted  to  injure 
them,  from  what  I  was  told  by  some  who 
were  not  willing  to  go  back  with  them  when 
they  teased  and  asked  them  to.  Altogether, 
they  carried  off  several  people  besides  those 
129 


THE  JOURNEY   OP   CORONA DO 

who  had  remained  of  their  own  accord,  among 
whom  good  interpreters  could  be  found 
today. 

The  wilderness  was  crossed  without  oppo 
sition,  and  on  the  second  da}7  before  reaching 
Chichilticalli  Juan  Gallego  met  the  arm}7,  as 
he  was  coming  from  New  Spain  with  reen- 
forcements  of  men  and  necessary  supplies  for 
the  army,  expecting  that  he  would  find  the 
army  in  the  country  of  the  Indian  called 
Turk.  When  Juan  Gallego  saw  that  the 
army  was  returning,  the  first  thing  he  said 
was  not,  "I  am  glad  you  are  corning  back," 
and  he  did  not  like  it  any  better  after  lie 
had  talked  with  the  general.  After  he  had 
reached  the  army,  or  rather  the  quarters, 
there  was  quite  a  little  movement  among 
the  gentlemen  toward  going  back  with  the 
new  force  which  had  made  no  slight  exer 
tions  in  coming  thus  far,  having  encounters 
every  day  with  the  Indians  of  these  regions 
who  had  risen  in  revolt,  as  will  be  related. 
There  was  talk  of  making  a  settlement  some 
where  in  that  region  until  the  viceroy  could 
receive  an  account  of  what  had  occurred. 
Those  soldiers  who  had  come  from  the  new 
lands  would  not  agree  to  anything  except  the 
return  to  New  Spain,  so  that  nothing  came 
of  the  proposals  made  at  the  consultations, 
and  although  there  was  some  opposition, 
they  were  finally  quieted.  Several  of  the 
mutineers  who  had  deserted  the  town  of  Co- 
razones  came  with  Juan  Gallego,  who  had 
given  them  his  word  as  surety  for  their 
130 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

safety,  and  even  if  the  general  had  wanted 
to  punish  them,  his  power  was  slight,  for  he 
had  been  disobeyed  already  and  was  not 
much  respected.  He  began  to  be  afraid 
again  after  this,  and  made  himself  sick,  and 
kept  a  guard. 

In  several  places  yells  were  heard  and 
Indians  seen,  and  some  of  the  horses  were 
wounded  and  killed,  before  Batuco l  was 
reached,  where  the  friendly  Indians  from 
Corazones  came  to  meet  the  army  and  see 
the  general.  They  were  always  friendly  and 
had  treated  all  the  Spaniards  who  passed 
through  their  country  well,  furnishing  them 
with  what  food  they  needed,  and  men,  if 
they  needed  these.  Our  men  had  always 
treated  them  well  and  repaid  them  for  these 
things.  During  this  journey  the  juice  of 
the  quince  was  proved  to  be  a  good  protec 
tion  against  the  poison  of  the  natives,  be 
cause  at  one  place,  several  days  before  reach 
ing  Senora,  the  hostile  Indians  wounded  a 
Spaniard  called  Mesa,  and  he  did  not  die, 
although  the  wound  of  the  fresh  poison  is 
fatal,  and  there  was  a  delay  of  over  two 
hours  before  curing  him  with  the  juice. 
The  poison,  however,  had  left  its  mark  upon 
him.  The  skin  rotted  and  fell  off  until  it 
left  the  bones  and  sinews  bare,  with  a  horri 
ble  smell.  The  wound  was  in  the  wrist, 


1  There  were  two  settlements  in  Sonora  bearing 
this  name,  one  occupied  by  the  Eudeve  and  the 
other  by  the  Tegui   division  of  the  Opata.     The 
former  village  is  the  one  referred  to  by  Castaneda. 
131 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

and  the  poison  had  reached  as  far  as  the 
shoulder  when  he  was  cured.  The  skin  on 
all  this  fell  off. 

The  army  proceeded  without  taking  any 
rest,  because  the  provisions  had  begun  to 
fail  by  this  time.  These  districts  were  in 
rebellion,  and  so  there  were  not  any  victuals 
where  the  soldiers  could  get  them  until  they 
reached  Petlatlan,  although  they  made  sev 
eral  forays  into  the  cross  country  in  search 
of  provisions.  Petlatlan  is  in  the  province 
of  Culiacan,  and  on  this  account  was  at 
peace,  although  they  had  several  surprises 
after  this.  The  army  rested  here  several 
days  to  get  provisions.  After  leaving  here 
they  were  able  to  travel  more  quickly  than 
before,  for  the  30  leagues  of  the  valley  of 
Culiacan,  where  they  were  welcomed  back 
again  as  people  who  came  with  their  gover 
nor,  who  had  suffered  ill  treatment. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Of  how  the  general  started  from  Culiacan  to  give 
the  viceroy  an  account  of  the  army  with  which  he 
had  been  intrusted. 

IT  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  the  arrival  in  the 
valley  of  Culiacan  had  ended  the  labors  of 
this  journey,  partly  because  the  general  was 
governor  there  and  partly  because  it  was  in 
habited  by  Christians.  On  this  account 
some  began  to  disregard  their  superiors  and 
the  authority  which  their  captains  had  over 
133 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

them,  and  some  captains  even  forgot  the 
obedience  due  to  their  general.  Each  one 
played  his  own  game,  so  that  while  the 
general  was  marching  toward  the  town,  which 
was  still  10  leagues  away,  many  of  the  men, 
or  most  of  them,  left  him  in  order  to  rest  in 
the  valley,  and  some  even  proposed  not  to 
follow  him.  The  general  understood  that 
he  was  not  strong  enough  to  compel  them, 
although  his  position  as  governor  gave  him 
fresh  authority.  He  determined  to  accom 
plish  it  by  a  better  method,  which  was  to 
order  all  the  captains  to  provide  food  and 
meat  from  the  stores  of  several  villages  that 
were  under  his  control  as  governor.  He 
pretended  to  be  sick,  keeping  his  bed,  so 
that  those  who  had  any  business  with  him 
could  speak  to  him  or  he  with  them  more 
freely,  without  hindrance  or  observation,  and 
he  kept  sending  for  his  particular  friends  in 
order  to  ask  them  to  be  sure  to  speak  to  the 
soldiers  and  encourage  them  to  accompany 
him  back  to  New  Spain,  and  to  tell  them 
that  he  would  request  the  viceroy,  Don  An 
tonio  de  Mendoza,  to  show  them  especial 
favor,  and  that  he  would  do  so  himself  for 
those  who  might  wish  to  remain  in  his  gov 
ernment.  After  this  had  been  done,  he 
started  with  his  army  at  a  very  bad  time, 
when  the  rains  were  beginning,  for  it  was 
about  Saint  John's  day,  at  which  season  it 
rains  continuously. 

In  the  uninhabited  country  which  they 
passed  through  as  far  as  Compostela  there 
133 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  COKONADO 

are  numerous  very  dangerous  rivers,  full  of 
large  and  fierce  alligators.  While  the  army 
was  halting  at  one  of  these  rivers,  a  soldier 
who  was  crossing  from  one  side  to  the  other 
was  seized,  in  sight  of  everybody,  and  car 
ried  off  by  an  alligator  without  it  being  pos 
sible  to  help  him.  The  general  proceeded, 
leaving  the  men  who  did  not  want  to  follow 
him  all  along  the  way,  and  reached  Mexico 
with  less  than  100  men.  He  made  his  re 
port  to  the  viceroy,  Don  Antonio  de  Men- 
doza,  who  did  not  receive  him  very  gra 
ciously,  although  he  gave  him  his  discharge. 
His  reputation  was  gone  from,  this  time  on. 
He  kept  the  government  of  New  Galicia, 
which  had  been  entrusted  to  him,  for  only  a 
short  time,  when  the  viceroy  took  it  himself, 
until  the  arrival  of  the  court,  or  audiencia, 
which  still  governs  it.  And  this  was  the 
end  of  those  discoveries  and  of  the  expedi 
tion  which  was  made  to  these  new  lands. 

It  now  remains  for  us  to  describe  the  way 
in  which  to  enter  the  country  by  a  more 
direct  route,  although  there  is  never  a  short 
cut  without  hard  work.  It  is  always  best 
to  find  out  what  those  know  who  have  pre 
pared  the  way,  who  know  what  will  be 
needed.  This  can  be  found  elsewhere,  and 
I  will  now  tell  where  Quivira  lies,  what  di 
rection  the  army  took,  and  the  direction  in 
which  Greater  India  lies,  which  was  what 
they  pretended  to  be  in  search  of,  when  the 
army  started  thither.  Today,  since  Villalo- 
bos  has  discovered  that  this  part  of  the  coast 
134 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

of  the  South  sea  trends  toward  the  west,  it 
is  clearly  seen  and  acknowledged  that,  since 
we  were  in  the  north,  we  ought  to  have 
turned  to  the  west  instead  of  toward  the 
east,  as  we  did.  With  this,  we  will  leave 
this  subject  and  will  proceed  to  finish  this 
treatise,  since  there  are  several  noteworthy 
things  of  which  I  must  give  an  account, 
which  I  have  left  to  be  treated  more  exten 
sively  in  the  two  following  chapters. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Of  the  adventures  of  Captain  Juan  Gallcgo  while 
he  was  bringing  reenforcements  through  the  revolted 
country. 

ONE  might  well  have  complained  when 
in  the  last  chapter  I  passed  in  silence  over 
the  exploits  of  Captain  Juan  Gallego  with 
his  20  companions.  I  will  relate  them  in 
the  present  chapter,  so  that  in  times  to  come 
those  who  read  about  it  or  tell  of  it  may 
have  a  reliable  authority  on  whom  to  rely. 
I  am  not  writing  fables,  like  some  of  the 
things  which  we  read  about  nowadays  in  the 
books  of  chivalry.  If  it  were  not  that  those 
stories  contained  enchantments,  there  are 
some  things  which  our  Spaniards  have  done 
in  our  own  day  in  these  parts,  in  their  con 
quests  and  encounters  with  the  Indians, 
which,  for  deeds  worthy  of  admiration,  sur 
pass  not  only  the  books  already  mentioned, 
but  also  those  which  have  been  written 
135 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

about  the  twelve  peers  of  France,  because,  if 
the  deadly  strength  which  the  authors  of 
those  times  attributed  to  their  heroes  and 
the  brilliant  and  resplendent  arms  with 
which  they  adorned  them,  are  fully  consid 
ered,  and  compared  with  the  small  stature 
of  the  men  of  our  time  and  the  few  and  poor 
weapons  which  they  have  in  these  parts,1 
the  remarkable  things  which  our  people  have 
undertaken  and  accomplished  with  such 
weapons  are  more  to  be  wondered  at  today 
than  those  of  which  the  ancients  write,  and 
just  because,  too,  they  fought  with  barbar 
ous  naked  people,  as  ours  have  with  Indians, 
among  whom  there  are  always  men  who  are 
brave  and  valiant  and  very  sure  bowmen, 
for  we  have  seen  them  pierce  the  wings  while 
flying,  and  hit  hares  while  running  after 
them.  I  have  said  all  this  in  order  to  show 
that  some  things  which  we  consider  fables 
may  be  true,  because  we  see  greater  things 
every  day  in  our  own  times,  just  as  in  future 
times  people  will  greatly  wonder  at  the  deeds 
of  Don  Fernando  Cortez,  who  dared  to  go 
into  the  midst  of  New  Spain  with  300  men 
against  the  vast  number  of  people  in  Mexico, 
and  who  with  500  Spaniards  succeeded  in 
subduing  it,  and  made  himself  lord  over  it 
in  two  years. 

The  deeds  of  Don  Pedro  de  Alvarado  in 


1  The  letters  of  Memloza  during  the  early  part  of 
his  administration  in  Mexico  repeatedly  call  atten 
tion  to  the  lack  of  arms  and  ammunition  among  the 
Spaniards  in  the  New  World. 
136 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

the  conquest  of  Guatemala,  and  those  of 
Monte  jo  in  Tabasco,  the  conquests  of  the 
mainland  and  of  Peru,  were  all  such  as  to 
make  me  remain  silent  concerning  what  I 
now  wish  to  relate ;  but  since  I  have  prom 
ised  to  give  an  account  of  what  happened 
on  this  journey,  I  want  the  things  I  am  now 
going  to  relate  to  be  known  as  well  as  those 
others  of  which  I  have  spoken. 

The  captain  Juan  Gallego,  then,  reached 
the  town  of  Culiacan  with  a  very  small  force. 
There  he  collected  as  many  as  he  could  of 
those  who  had  escaped  from  the  town  of 
Hearts,  or,  more  correctly,  from  Suya,  which 
made  in  all  22  men,  and  with  these  he 
marched  through  all  of  the  settled  country, 
across  which  he  traveled  200  leagues  with 
the  country  in  a  state  of  war  and  the  people 
in  rebellion,  although  they  had  formerly  been 
friendly  toward  the  Spaniards,  having  en 
counters  with  the  enemy  almost  every  day. 
He  always  marched  with  the  advance  guard, 
leaving  two-thirds  of  his  force  behind  with 
the  baggage.  With  six  or  seven  Spaniards, 
and  without  any  of  the  Indian  allies  whom 
he  had  with  him,  he  forced  his  way  into 
their  villages,  killing  and  destroying  and 
setting  them  on  fire,  coming  upon  the  enemy 
so  suddenly  and  with  such  quickness  and 
boldness  that  they  did  not  have  a  chance  to 
collect  or  even  to  do  anything  at  all,  until 
they  became  so  afraid  of  him  that  there  was 
not  a  town  which  dared  wait  for  him,  but 
they  fled  before  him  as  from  a  powerful 
137 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

army;  so  much  so,  that  for  ten  days,  while 
he  was  passing  through  the  settlements,  they 
did  not  have  an  hour's  rest. 

He  did  all  this  with  his  seven  compan 
ions,  so  that  when  the  rest  of  the  force  came 
ap  with  the  baggage  there  was  nothing  for 
f  hem  to  do  except  to  pillage,  since  the  others 
had  already  killed  and  captured  all  the  peo 
ple  they  could  lay  their  hands  on  and  the 
rest  had  fled.  They  did  not  pause  any 
where,  so  that  although  the  villages  ahead 
of  him  received  some  warning,  they  were 
upon  them  so  quickly  that  they  did  not  have 
a  chance  to  collect.  Especially  in  the  region 
where  the  town  of  Hearts  had  been,  he  killed 
and  hung  a  large  number  of  people  to  pun 
ish  them  for  their  rebellion.  He  did  not 
lose  a  companion  during  all  this,  nor  was 
anyone  wounded,  except  one  soldier,  who 
was  wounded  in  the  eyelid  by  an  Indian 
who  was  almost  dead,  whom  he  was  strip 
ping.  The  weapon  broke  the  skin  and,  as  it 
was  poisoned,  he  would  have  had  to  die  if  he 
had  not  been  saved  by  the  quince  juice ;  he 
lost  his  eye  as  it  was. 

These  deeds  of  theirs  were  such  that  I 
know  those  people  will  remember  them  as 
long  as  they  live,  and  especially  four  or  five 
friendly  Indians  who  went  with  them  from 
Corazones,  who  thought  that  they  were  so 
wonderful  that  they  held  them  to  be  some 
thing  divine  rather  than  human.  If  he  had 
not  fallen  in  with  our  army  as  he  did,  they 
would  have  reached  the  country  of  the  In- 

138 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

dian  called  Turk,  which  they  expected  to 
march  to,  and  they  would  have  arrived  there 
without  danger  on  account  of  their  good 
order  and  the  skill  with  which  he  was  lead 
ing  them,  and  their  knowledge  and  ample 
practice  in  war.  Several  of  these  men  are 
still  in  this  town  of  Culiacan,  where  I  am 
now  writing  this  account  and  narrative, 
where  they,  as  well  as  I  and  the  others  who 
have  remained  in  this  province,  have  never 
lacked  for  labor  in  keeping  this  country 
quiet,  in  capturing  rebels,  and  increasing  in 
poverty  and  need,  and  more  than  ever  at  the 
present  hour,  because  the  country  is  poorer 
and  more  in  debt  than  ever  before. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Which  describes  some  remarkable  things  that  were 
seen  on  the  plains,  with  a  description  of  the  bulls. 

MY  silence  was  not  without  mystery  and 
dissimulation  when,  in  chapter  7  of  the 
second  part  of  this  book,  I  spoke  of  the 
plains  and  of  the  things  of  which  I  will  give 
a  detailed  account  in  this  chapter,  where  all 
these  things  may  be  found  together;  for 
these  things  were  remarkable  and  something 
not  seen  in  other  parts.  I  dare  to  write  of 
them  because  I  am  writing  at  a  time  when 
many  men  are  still  living  who  saw  them 
and  who  will  vouch  for  my  account.  Who 
could  believe  that  1,000  horses  and  500  of 
our  cows  and  more  than  5,000  rams  and 
139 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

ewes  and  more  than  1,500  friendly  Indians 
and  servants,  in  traveling  over  those  plains, 
would  leave  no  more  trace  where  they  had 
passed  than  if  nothing  had  been  there — 
nothing — so  that  it  was  necessary  to  make 
piles  of  bones  and  cow  jlung  now  and  then, 
so  that  the  rear  guard  could  follow  the  army. 
The  grass  never  failed  to  become  erect  after 
it  had  been  trodden  down,  and,  although  it 
was  short,  it  was  as  fresh  and  straight  as  be 
fore. 

Another  thing  was  a  heap  of  cow  bones, 
a  crossbow  shot  long,  or  a  very  little  less, 
almost  twice  a  man's  height  in  places,  and 
some  18  feet  or  more  wide,  which  was  found 
on  the  edge  of  a  salt  lake  in  the  southern 
part,  and  this  in  a  region  where  there  are  no 
people  who  could  have  made  it.  The  only 
explanation  of  this  which  could  be  suggested 
was  that  the  waves  which  the  north  winds 
must  make  in  the  lake  had  piled  up  the 
bones  of  the  cattle  which  had  died  in  the 
lake,  when  the  old  and  weak  ones  who  went 
into  the  water  were  unable  to  get  out.  The 
noticeable  thing  is  the  number  of  cattle  that 
would  be  necessary  to  make  such  a  pile  of 
bones. 

Now  that  I  wish  to  describe  the  appear 
ance  of  the  bulls,  it  is  to  be  noticed  first  that 
there  was  not  one  of  the  horses  that  did  not 
take  flight  when  he  saw  them  first,  for  they 
have  a  narrow,  short  -face,  the  brow  two 
palms  across  from  eye  to  eye,  the  eyes  stick 
ing  out  at  the  side,  so  that,  when  they  are 
140 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

running,  they  can  see  who  is  following  them. 
They  have  very  long  beards,  like  goats,  and 
when  they  are  running  they  throw  their 
heads  back  with  the  beard  dragging  on  the 
ground.  There  is  a  sort  of  girdle  round  the 
middle  of  the  body.  The  hair  is  very  woolly, 
like  a  sheep's,  very  fine,  and  in  front  of  the 
girdle  the  hair  is  very  long  and  rough  like  a 
lion's.  They  have  a  great  hump,  larger  than 
a  camel's.  The  horns  are  short  and  thick, 
so  that  they  are  not  seen  much  above  the 
hair.  In  May  they  change  the  hair  in  the 
middle  of  the  body  for  a  down,  which  makes 
perfect  lions  of  them.  They  rub  against  the 
small  trees  in  the  little  ravines  to  shed  their 
hair,  and  they  continue  this  until  only  the 
down  is  left,  as  a  snake  changes  his  skin. 
They  have  a  short  tail,  with  a  bunch  of  hair 
at  the  end.  When  they  run,  they  carry  it 
erect  like  a  scorpion.  It  is  worth  noticing 
that  the  little  calves  are  red  and  just  like 
ours,  but  they  change  their  color  and  appear 
ance  with  time  and  age. 

Another  strange  thing  was  that  all  the 
bulls  that  were  killed  had  their  left  ears  slit, 
although  these  were  whole  when  young. 
The  reason  for  this  was  a  puzzle  that  could 
not  be  guessed.  The  wool  ought  to  make 
good  cloth  on  account  of  its  fineness,  al 
though  the  color  is  not  good,  because  it  is 
the  color  of  buriel.1 

1  The  kersey,  or  coarse  woollen  cloth,  out  of  which 
the  habits  of    the    Franciscan  friars  were  made. 
Hence  the  name,  grey  friars. 
141 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Another  thing  worth  noticing  is  that  the 
bulls  traveled  without  cows  in  such  large 
numbers  that  nobody  could  have  counted 
them,  and  so  far  away  from  the  cows  that  it 
was  more  than  40  leagues  from  where  we 
began  to  see  the  bulls  to  the  place  where  we 
began  to  see  the  cows.  The  country  they 
traveled  over  was  so  level  and  smooth  that 
if  one  looked  at  them  the  sky  could  be  seen 
between  their  legs,  so  that  if  some  of  them 
were  at  a  distance  they  looked  like  smooth- 
trunked  pines  whose  tops  joined,  and  if  there 
was  only  one  bull  it  looked  as  if  there  were 
four  pines.  When  one  was  near  them,  it 
was  impossible  to  see  the  ground  on  the 
other  side  of  them.  The  reason  for  all  this 
was  that  the  country  seemed  as  round  as  if  a 
man  should  imagine  himself  in  a  three-pint 
measure,  and  could  see  the  sky  at  the  edge 
of  it,  about  a  crossbow  shot  from  him,  and 
even  if  a  man  only  lay  down  on  his  back  he 
lost  sight  of  the  ground.1 

I  have  not  written  about  other  things 
which  were  seen  nor  made  any  mention  of 
them,  because  they  were  not  of  so  much 
importance,  although  it  does  not  seem  right 
for  me  to  remain  silent  concerning  the  fact 
that  they  venerate  the  sign  of  the  cross  in 
the  region  where  the  settlements  have  high 
houses.  For  at  a  spring  which  was  in  the 
plain  near  Acuco  they  had  a  cross  two  palms 

1  The  earliest  description  of  the  American  buffalo 
by  a  European  is  in  Cabeza  de  Vaca's  Naufragios, 
fol.  xxvii.,  verso  (ed.  1555). 
142 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

high  and  as  thick  as  a  finger,  made  of  wood 
with  a  square  twig  for  its  crosspiece,  and 
many  little  sticks  decorated  with  feathers 
around  it,  and  numerous  withered  flowers, 
which  were  the  offerings.1  In  a  graveyard 
outside  the  village  at  Tutahaco  there  ap 
peared  to  have  been  a  recent  burial.  Near 
the  head  there  was  another  cross  made  of 
two  little  sticks  tied  with  cotton  thread,  and 
dry  withered  flowers.  It  certainly  seems  to 
me  that  in  some  way  they  must  have  re 
ceived  some  light  from  the  cross  of  Our 
Redeemer,  Christ,  and  it  may  have  come  by 
way  of  India,  from  whence  they  proceeded. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Which  treats  of  the  direction  which  the  army 
took,  and  of  how  another  more  direct  way  might  be 
found,  if  anyone  was  to  return  to  that  country. 

I  VERY  much  wish  that  I  possessed  some 
knowledge  of  cosmography  or  geography,  so 
as  to  render  what  I  wish  to  say  intelligible, 
and  so  that  I  could  reckon  up  or  measure 
the  advantage  those  people  who  might  go  in 
search  of  that  country  would  have  if  they 
went  directly  through  the  center  of  the 

1  Scattered  through  the  papers  of  Dr.  J.  Walter 
Fewkes  on  the  Zuiii  and  Tusayan  Indians  will  be 
found  many  descriptions  of  the  pahos  or  prayer 
sticks  and  other  forms  used  as  offerings  at  the 
shrines,  together  with  exact  accounts  of  the  manner 
of  making  the  offerings. 

143 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

country,  instead  of  following  the  road  the 
army  took.  However,  with  the  help  of 
the  favor  of  the  Lord,  I  will  state  it  as 
well  as  I  can,  making  it  as  plain  as  pos 
sible. 

It  is,  I  think,  already  understood  that  the 
Portuguese,  Campo,  was  the  soldier  who 
escaped  when  Friar  Juan  de  Padilla  was 
killed  at  Quivira,  and  that  he  finally  reached 
New  Spain  from  Panuco,1  having  traveled 
across  the  plains  country  until  he  came  to 
cross  the  North  Sea  mountain  chain,  keep 
ing  the  country  that  Don  Hernando  de  Soto 
discovered  all  the  time  on  his  left  hand, 
since  he  did  not  see  the  river  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  (Espiritu  Santo)  at  all.2  After  he  had 
crossed  the  North  Sea  mountains,  he  found 
that  he  was  in  Panuco,  so  that  if  he  had  not 
tried  to  go  to  the  North  sea,  he  would  have 
come  out  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  border 

1  The  northeastern  province  of  New  Spain. 

2  The  conception  of  the  great  inland  plain  stretch 
ing  between  the  great  lakes  at  the  head  of  the  (St. 
Lawrence  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  came  to  cos- 
mographers  very  slowly.     Almost    all  of  the  early 
maps  show  a  disposition  to  carry  the   mountains 
which  follow  the  Atlantic  coast  along  the  gulf  coast 
as  far  as  Texas,  a  result,  doubtless,  of  the  fact  that 
all  the  expeditious  which  started  inland  from  Flori 
da  found  mountains.     Coroffado's  journey  to  Qui- 
vira  added  but  little  to  the  detailed  geographical 
knowledge  of  America.     The  name  reached  Europe, 
audit  is  found  on  the  maps,  along  the  fortieth  paral 
lel,  almost  everywhere  from  the  Pacific  coast  to  the 
neighborhood  of  a  western  tributary  to  the  St.  Law 
rence  system.     See    the   maps  reproduced   herein. 
Castaneda  could  have  aided  them  considerably,  but 
the  map  makers  did  not  know  of  his  book. 

144 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

land,  or  the  country  of  the  Sacatecas,1  of 
which  we  now  have  some  knowledge. 

This  way  would  be  somewhat  better  and 
more  direct  for  anyone  going  back  there  in 
search  of  Quivira,  since  some  of  those  who 
came  with  the  Portuguese  are  still  in  New 
Spain  to  serve  as  guides.  Nevertheless,  I 
think  it  would  be  best  to  go  through  the 
country  of  the  Guachichules,  keeping  near 
the  South  Sea  mountains  all  the  time,  for 
there  are  more  settlements  and  a  food  supply, 
for  it  would  be  suicide  to  launch  out  on  to 
the  plains  country,  because  it  is  so  vast  and 
is  barren  of  anything  to  eat,  although,  it  is 
true,  there  would  not  be  much  need  of  this 
after  coming  to  the  cows. 

This  is  only  when  one  goes  in  search  of 
Quivira,  and  of  the  villages  which  were 
described  by  the  Indian  called  Turk,  for  the 
army  of  Francisco  Vazquez  Coronado  went 
the  very  farthest  way  round  to  get  there, 
since  they  started  from  Mexico  and  went 
110  leagues  to  the  west,  and  then  100 
leagues  to  the  northeast,  and  250  to  the 
north,  and  all  this  brought  them  as  far  as 
the  ravines  where  the  cows  were,  and  after 
traveling  850  leagues  they  were  not  more 

1  Captain  John  Stevens'  Dictionary  says  that  this 
is  "  a  northern  province  of  North  America,  rich  in  sil 
ver  mines,  but  ill  provided  with  water,  grain,  and 
other  substances ;  yet  by  reason  of  the  mines  there 
are  seven  or  eight  Spanish  towns  iu  it."  Zacatecas 
is  now  one  of  the  central  states  of  the  Mexican  con 
federation,  being  south  of  Coahuila  and  southeast 
of  Durango. 

145 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  COHONADO 

than  400  leagues  distant  from  Mexico  by  a 
direct  route.  If  one  desires  to  go  to  the 
country  of  Tiguex,  so  as  to  turn  from  there 
toward  the  west  in  search  of  the  country  of 
India,  he  ought  to  follow  the  road  taken  by 
the  army,  for  there  is  no  other,  even  if  one 
wished  to  go  by  a  different  way,  because  the 
arm  of  the  sea  which  reaches  into  this  coast 
toward  the  north  does  not  leave  room  for 
any.  But  what  might  be  done  is  to  have 
a  fleet  and  cross  this  gulf  and  disem 
bark  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Island  of 
Negroes *  and  enter  the  country  from  there, 
crossing  the  mountain  chains  in  search  of 
the  country  from  which  the  people  at 
Tiguex  came,  or  other  peoples  of  the  same 
sort. 

As  for  entering  from  the  country  of  Florida 
and  from  the  North  sea,  it  has  already  been 
observed  that  the  many  expeditions  which 
have  been  undertaken  from  that  side  have 
been  unfortunate  and  not  very  successful, 
because  that  part  of  the  country  is  full  of 
bogs  and  poisonous  fruits,  barren,  and  the 
very  worst  country  that  is  warmed  by  the 
sun.  But  they  might  disembark  after  pass 
ing  the  river  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  Don  Her- 
nando  de  Soto  did.  Nevertheless,  despite 
the  fact  that  I  underwent  much  labor,  I  still 
think  that  the  way  I  went  to  that  country 

1  Apparently  the  location  of  this  island  gradually 
drifted  westward  with  the  increase  of  geographical 
knowledge,  until  it  was  finally  located  in  the  Philip 
pine  group. 

146 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

is  the  best.  There  ought  to  be  river  courses, 
because  the  necessary  supplies  can  be  carried 
on  these  more  easily  in  large  quantities. 
Horses  are  the  most  necessary  things  in  the 
new  countries,  and  they  frighten  the  enemy 
most.  .  .  .  Artillery  is  also  much  feared  by 
those  who  do  not  know  how  to  use  it.  A 
piece  of  heavy  artillery  would  be  very  good 
for  settlements  like  those  which  Francisco 
Vazquez  Coronado  discovered,  in  order  to 
knock  them  down,  because  he  had  nothing 
but  some  small  machines  for  slinging  and 
nobody  skillful  enough  to  make  a  catapult. or 
some  other  machine  which  would  frighten 
them,  which  is  very  necessary. 

I  say,  then,  that  with  what  we  now  know 
about  the  trend  of  the  coast  of  the  South  sea, 
which  has  been  followed  by  the  ships  which 
explored  the  western  part,  and  what  is  known 
of  the  North  sea  toward  Norway,  the  coast 
of  which  extends  up  from  Florida,  those 
who  now  go  to  discover  the  country  which 
Francisco  Vazquez  entered,  and  reach  the 
country  of  Cibola  or  of  Tiguex,  will  know 
the  direction  in  which  they  ought  to  go  in 
order  to  discover  the  true  direction  of  the 
country  which  the  Marquis  of  the  Valley, 
Don  Hernando  Cortes,  tried  to  find,  follow 
ing  the  direction  of  the  gulf  of  the  Firebrand 
(Tizon)  river.  This  will  suffice  for  the  con 
clusion  of  our  narrative.  Everything  else 
rests  on  the  powerful  Lord  of  all  things, 
God  Omnipotent,  who  knows  how  and 
when  these  lands  will  be  discovered  and 
147 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

for   whom  He    has   guarded  this  good  for 
tune. 

Laus  Deo. 

Finished  copying,  Saturday  the  26th  of 
October,  1596,  in  Seville. 


148 


TEANSLATION  OF  THE  LETTER 
FEOM  MENDOZA  TO  THE  KING, 
APEIL  17,  1540.1 

S.  C.  C.  M. : 

I  wrote  to  Your  Majesty  from  Compostela 
the  last  of  February,  giving  you  an  account 
of  my  arrival  there  and  of  the  departure  of 
Francisco  Vazquez  with  the  force  which  I 
sent  to  pacify  and  settle  in  the  newly  dis 
covered  country,  and  of  how  the  warden, 
Lope  de  Samaniego,  was  going  as  army  mas 
ter,  both  because  he  was  a  responsible  person 
and  a  very  good  Christian,  and  because  he 
has  had  experience  in  matters  of  this  sort; 
as  Your  Majesty  had  desired  to  know.  And 
the  news  which  I  have  received  since  then 
is  to  the  effect  that  after  they  had  passed  the 
uninhabited  region  of  Culuacan  and  were 
approaching  Chiametla,  the  warden  went  off 
with  some  horsemen  to  find  provisions,  and 
one  of  the  soldiers  who  was  with  him,  who 
had  strayed  from  the  force,  called  out  that 
they  were  killing  him.  The  warden  has 
tened  to  his  assistance,  and  they  wounded 
him  in  the  eve  with  an  arrow,  from  which 


1  From  the  Spanish  text  in  Pacheco  y  Cardenas, 
Documentos  de  Indias,  vol.  ii.,  p.  356.  The  letter 
mentioned  in  the  opening  sentence  is  not  known  to 
exist. 

149 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

he  died.  In  regard  to  the  fortress,1  besides 
the  fact  that  it  is  badly  built  and  going  to 
pieces,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  cost  of  it  is 
excessive,  and  that  Your  Majesty  could  do 
without  the  most  of  it,  because  there  is  one 
man  who  takes  charge  of  the  munitions  and 
artillery,  and  an  armorer  to  repair  it,  and  a 
gunner,  and  as  this  is  the  way  it  was  under 
the  audiencia,  before  the  fortresses  were 
made  conformable  to  what  I  have  written 
to  Your  Majesty,  we  can  get  along  without 
the  rest,  because  that  fortress  was  built  on 
account  of  the  brigantines,  and  not  for  any 
other  purpose.2  And  as  the  lagoon  is  so  dry 
that  it  can  do  no  good  in  this  way  for  the 
present,  I  think  that,  for  this  reason,  the  cost 
is  superfluous.  I  believe  that  it  will  have 
fallen  in  before  a  reply  can  come  from  Your 
Majesty. 

Some,  days  ago  I  wrote  to  Your  Majesty 
that  I  had  ordered  Melchior  Diaz,  who  was 
in  the  town  of  San  Miguel  de  Culuacan,  to 
take  some  horsemen  and  see  if  the  account 
given  by  the  father,  Friar  Marcos,  agreed 
with  what  he  could  discover.  He  set  out 
from  Culuacan  with  fifteen  horsemen,  the 
17th  of  November  last.  The  20th  of  this 
present  March  I  received  a  letter  from  him, 
which  he  sent  me  by  Juan  de  Zaldyvar  and 


1  Presumably  the  fortress  of  which  Samaniego  was 
warden. 

2  Buckingham  Smith's  Florida  gives  many  docu 
ments  relating  to  the  damage  done  by  French  brig 
antines  to  the  Spanish  West  Indies  during  1540-41. 

150 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

three  other  horsemen.  In  this  he  says  that 
after  he  left  Culuacan  and  crossed  the  river 
of  Petatlan  he  was  everywhere  very  well  re 
ceived  by  the  Indians.  The  way  he  did  was 
to  send  a  cross  to  the  place  where  he  was 
going  to  stop,  because  this  was  a  sign  which 
the  Indians  received  with  deep  veneration, 
making  a  house  out  of  mats  in  which  to  place 
it,  and  somewhat  away  from  this  they  made 
a  lodging  for  the  Spaniards,  and  drove  stakes 
where  they  could  tie  the  horses,  and  supplied 
fodder  for  them,  and  abundance  of  corn 
wherever  they  had  it.  They  say  that  they 
suffered  from  hunger  in  many  places,  because 
it  had  been  a  bad  year.  After  going  100 
leagues  from  Culuacan,  he  began  to  find  the 
country  cold,  with  severe  frosts,  and  the 
farther  he  went  on  the  colder  it  became,  until 
he  reached  a  point  where  some  Indians  whom 
he  had  with  him  were  frozen,  and  two  Span 
iards  were  in  great  danger.  Seeing  this,  he 
decided  not  to  go  any  farther  until  the  win 
ter  was  over,  and  to  send  back,  by  those  whom 
I  mentioned,  an  account  of  what  he  had 
learned  concerning  Cibola  and  the  country 
beyond,  which  is  as  follows,  taken  literally 
from  his  letter : 

"I  have  given  Your  Lordship  an  account 
of  what  happened  to  me  along  the  way ;  and 
seeing  that  it  is  impossible  to  cross  the  un 
inhabited  region  which  stretches  from  here 
to  Cibola,  on  account  of  the  heavy  snows 
and  the  cold,  I  will  give  Your  Lordship  an 
account  of  what  I  have  learned  about  Cibola, 
151 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  COHONADO 

which  I  have  ascertained  by  asking  many 
persons  who  have  been  there  fifteen  and 
twenty  years;  and  I  have  secured  this  in 
many  different  ways,  taking  some  Indians 
together  and  others  separately,  and  on  com 
parison  they  all  seem  to  agree  in  what  they 
say.  After  crossing  this  large  wilderness, 
there  are  seven  places,  being  a  short  day's 
march  from  one  to  another,  all  uf  which  are 
together  called  Cibola.  The  houses  are  of 
stone  and  mud,  coarsely  worked.  They  are 
made  in  this  way :  One  large  wall,  and  at 
each  end  of  this  wall  some  rooms  are  built, 
partitioned  off  20  feet  square,  according  to 
the  description  they  give,  which  are  planked 
with  square  beams.  Most  of  the  houses  are 
reached  from  the  flat  roofs,  using  their  lad 
ders  to  go  to  the  streets.  The  houses  have 
three  and  four  stories.  They  declare  that 
there  are  few  having  two  stories.  The  stories 
are  mostly  half  as  high  again  as  a  man,  ex 
cept  the  first  one,  which  is  low,  and  only  a 
little  more  than  a  man's  height.  One  lad 
der  is  used  to  communicate  with  ten  or  twelve 
houses  together.  They  make  use  of  the  low 
ones  and  live  in  the  highest  ones.  In  the 
lowest  ones  of  all  they  have  some  loopholes 
made  sideways,  as  in  the  fortresses  of  Spain. 
The  Indians  say  that  when  these  people  are 
attacked,  they  station  themselves  in  their 
houses  and  fight  from  there ;  and  that  when 
they  go  to  make  war,  they  carry  shields  and 
wear  leather  jackets,  which  are  made  of 
cows'  hide,  colored,  and  that  they  fight  with 
152 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONA  DO 

arrows  and  with  a  sort  of  stone  maul  and 
with  some  other  weapons  made  of  sticks, 
which  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  out. 
They  eat  human  flesh,  and  they  keep  those 
whom  they  capture  in  war  as  slaves.  There 
are  many  fowls  in  the  country,  tame.  They 
have  much  corn  and  beans  and  melons 
[squashes].  In  their  houses  they  keep  some 
hairy  animals,  like  the  large  Spanish  hounds, 
which  they  shear,  and  they  make  long  col 
ored  wigs  from  the  hair,  like  this  one  which 
I  send  to  Your  Lordship,  which  they  wear, 
and  they  also  put  this  same  stuff  in  the  cloth 
which  they  make.1  The  men  are  of  small 
stature  [plate  LXII]  ;  the  women  are  light 
colored  and  of  good  appearance,  and  they 
wear  shirts  or  chemises  which  reach  down 
to  their  feet.  They  wear  their  hair  on  each 
side  done  up  in  a  sort  of  twist  [plate  LXIII], 
which  leaves  the  ears  outside,  in  which  they 
hang  many  turquoises,  as  well  as  on  their 
necks  and  on  the  wrists  of  their  arms.  The 
clothing  of  the  men  is  a  cloak,  and  over  this 
the  skin  of  a  cow,  like  the  one  which  Cabeza 
de  Vaca  and  Dorantes  brought,  which  Your 
Lordship  saw;  they  wear  caps2  on  their 
heads ;  in  summer  they  wear  shoes  made  of 


1  In  his  paper  on  the  Human  Bones  of  the  Hemen- 
way  Collection  (Memoirs  of  the  National  Academy 
of  Sciences,  vi.,  p.  156  etseq.),  Dr.  Washington  Mat 
thews  discusses  the  possible  former  existence  of  a 
variety  of  the  llama  in  certain  parts  of  the  south 
west. 

2  The  headbands  are  doubtless  here  referred  to. 

153 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 

painted  or  colored  skin,  and  high  buskins  in 
winter. 

"They  were  also  unable  to  tell  me  of  any 
metal,  nor  did  they  say  that  they  had  it. 
They  have  turquoises  in  quantity,  although 
not  so  many  as  the  father  provincial  said. 
They  have  some  little  stone  crystals,  like 
this  which  I  send  to  Your  Lordship,  of  which 
Your  Lordship  has  seen  many  here  in  New 
Spain.  They  cultivate  the  ground  in  the 
same  way  as  in  New  Spain.  They  carry 
things  on  their  heads,  as  in  Mexico.  The 
men  weave  cloth  and  spin  cotton.  They 
have  salt  from  a  marshy  lake,  which  is  two 
days  from  the  province  of  Cibola.1  The 
Indians  have  their  dances  and  songs,  with 
some  flutes  which  have  holes  on  which  to 
put  the  fingers.  They  make  much  noise. 
They  sing  in  unison  with  those  who  play, 
and  those  who  sing  clap  their  hands  in  our 
fashion.  One  of  the  Indians  that  accom 
panied  the  negro  Esteban,  who  had  been  a 
captive  there,  saw  the  playing  as  they  prac 
ticed  it,  and  others  singing  as  I  have  said, 
although  not  very  vigorously.  They  say 
that  five  or  six  play  together,  and  that  some 
of  the  flutes  are  better  than  others.2  They 
say  the  country  is  good  for  corn  and  beans, 
and  that  they  do  not  have  any  fruit  trees, 

1  The  same  salt  lake  from  which  the  Zunis  obtain 
their  salt  supply  to-day. 

2  Compare  with  this  hearsay  description  of  some 
thing  almost  unknown  to  the  Spaniards,  the  thor 
oughly  scientific  descriptions  of  the  Hopi  dances  and 
ceremonials  recorded  by  Dr.  J.  Walter  Fewkes. 

154 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

nor  do  they  know  what  such  a  thing  is.1 
They  have  very  good  mountains.  The 
country  lacks  water.  They  do  not  raise  cot 
ton,  but  bring  it  from  Totonteac.2  They  eat 
out  of  flat  bowls,  like  the  Mexicans.  They 
raise  considerable  corn  and  beans  and  other 
similar  things.  They  do  not  know  what  sea 
fish  is,  nor  have  they  ever  heard  of  it.  I 
have  not  obtained  any  information  about  the 
cows,  except  that  these  are  found  beyond  the 
province  of  Cibola.  There  is  a  great  abun 
dance  of  wild  goats,  of  the  color  of  bay  horses ; 
there  are  many  of  these  here  where  I  am, 
and  although  I  have  asked  the  Indians  if 
those  are  like  these,  they  tell  me  no.  Of 
the  seven  settlements,  they  describe  three  of 
them  as  very  large ;  four  not  so  big.  They 
describe  them,  as  I  understand,  to  be  about 
three  crossbow  shots  square  for  each  place, 
and  from  what  the  Indians  say,  and  their 
descriptions  of  the  houses  and  their  size,  and 


1  The     peaches,    watermelons,    cantaloupes,   and 
grapes,  now  so  extensively  cultivated  by  the  Pue 
blos,  were  introduced  early  in  the  seventeenth  cen 
tury  by  the  Spanish  missionaries. 

2  At  first  glance  it  seems  somewhat  strange  that 
although  Zuni  is  considerably  more  than  100  miles 
south  of  Totonteac,  or  Tusayan,  the  people  of  the 
former  villages  did  not  cultivate  cotton,  but  in  this 
I  am  reminded  by  Mr.  Hodge  that  part  of  the  Tu 
sayan  people  are  undoubtedly  of  southern  origin 
and  that  in  all  probability  they  introduced  cotton 
into  that    group  of  villages.     The    Pimas  raised 
cotton  as  late  as  1850.     None  of  the  Pueblos  now 
cultivate  the  plant,  the  introduction  of  cheap  fab 
rics  by  traders  having  doubtless  brought  the  indus 
try  to  an  end. 

155 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

as  these  are  close  together,  and  considering 
that  there  are  people  in  each  house,  it  ought 
to  make  a  large  multitude.  Totonteac  is 
declared  to  be  seven  short  days  from  the 
province  of  Cibola,  and  of  the  same  sort  of 
houses  and  people,  and  they  say  that  cotton 
grows  there.  I  doubt  this,  because  they 
tell  me  that  it  is  a  cold  country.  They  say 
that  there  are  twelve  villages,  every  one  of 
which  is  larger  than  the  largest  at  Cibola. 
They  also  tell  me  that  there  is  a  village  which 
is  one  day  from  Cibola,  and  that  the  two  are 
at  war.1  They  have  the  same  sort  of  houses 
and  people  and  customs.  They  declare  this 
to  be  greater  than  any  of  those  described ;  I 
take  it  that  there  is  a  great  multitude  of 
people  there.  They  are  very  well  known, 
on  account  of  having  these  houses  and  abun 
dance  of  food  and  turquoises.  I  have  not 
been  able  to  learn  more  than  what  I  have 
related,  although,  as  I  have  said,  I  have  had 
with  me  Indians  who  have  lived  there  fifteen 
and  twenty  years. 

"The  death  of  Esteban  the  negro  took 
place  in  the  way  the  father,  Friar  Marcos, 
described  it  to  your  lordship,  and  so  I  do 
not  make  a  report  of  it  here,  except  that  the 
people  at  Cibola  sent  word  to  those  of  this 
village  and  in  its  neighborhood  that  if  any 


1  Doubtless  the  pueblo  of  Marata  (Makyata)  men 
tioned  by  Marcos  de  Niza.  This  village  was  situ 
ated  near  the  salt  lake  and  had  been  destroyed  by 
the  Zunis  some  years  before  Niza  visited  New  Mexi 
co. 

156 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Christians  should  come,  they  ought  not  to 
consider  them  as  anything  peculiar,  and 
ought  to  kill  them,  because  they  were  mortal 
— saying  that  they  had  learned  this  because 
they  kept  the  bones  of  the  one  who  had 
come  there ;  and  that,  if  they  did  not  dare  to 
do  this,  they  should  send  word  so  that  those 
(at  Cibola)  could  come  and  do  it.  I  can 
very  easily  believe  that  all  this  has  taken 
place,  and  that  there  has  been  some  commu 
nication  between  these  places,  because  of  the 
coolness  with  which  they  received  us  and 
the  sour  faces  they  have  shown  us." 

Melchior  Diaz  says  that  the  people  whom 
he  found  along  the  way  do  not  have  any  set 
tlements  at  all,  except  in  one  valley  which 
is  150  leagues  from  Culuacan,  which  is  well 
settled  and  has  houses  with  lofts,  and  that 
there  are  many  people  along  the  way,  but 
that  they  are  not  good  for  anything  except 
to  make  them  Christians,  as  if  this  was  of 
small  account.  May  Your  Majesty  remem 
ber  to  provide  for  the  service  of  God,  and 
keep  in  mind  the  deaths  and  the  loss  of  life 
and  of  provinces  which  has  taken  place  in 
these  Indies.  And,  moreover,  up  to  this 
present  day  none  of  the  thin'gs  Your  Majesty 
has  commanded,  which  have  been  very  holy 
and  good,  have  been  attended  to,  nor  priests 
provided,  either  for  that  country  or  for  this. 
For  I  assure  Your  Majesty  that  there  is  no 
trace  of  Christianity  where  they  have  not 
yet  arrived,  neither  little  nor  much,  and 
that  the  poor  people  are  ready  to  receive  the 
157 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

priests  and  come  to  them  even  when  they 
flee  from  us  like  deer  in  the  mountains. 
And  I  state  this  because  I  am  an  eyewitness, 
and  I  have  seen  it  clearly  during  this  trip. 
1  have  importuned  Your  Majesty  for  friars, 
and  yet  again  I  can  not  cease  doing  it  murli 
more,  because  unless  this  be  done  I  can  not 
accomplish  that  which  I  am  bound  to  do. 

After  I  reach  Mexico,  1  will  give  Your 
Majesty  an  account  of  everything  concern 
ing  these  provinces,  for  while  I  should  like 
to  do  it  today,  I  can  not,  because  I  am  very 
weak  from  a  slow  fever  which  1  caught  in 
Colima,  which  attacked  me  very  severely, 
although  it  did  not  last  more  than  six  days. 
It  has  pleased  Our  Lord  to  make  me  well 
already,  and  I  have  traveled  here  to  Jacona, 
where  I  am. 

May  Our  Lord  protect  the  Holy  Catholic 
Csesarian  person  of  Your  Majesty  and  ag 
grandize  it  with  increase  of  better  kingdoms 
and  lordships,  as  we  your  servants  desire. 

From  Jacoua,  April  17,  1540. 

S.  C.  C.  M. 

Your  Holy  Majesty's  humble  servant,  who 
salutes  your  royal  feet  and  hands, 

D.  ANTONIO  DE  MENDOZA. 


158 


TRANSLATION  OF  THE  LETTER 
FROM  CORONADO  TO  MEKDOZA, 
AUGUST  3,  1540 ' 

THE  ACCOUNT  GIVEN  BY  FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ 
DE  CORONADO,  CAPTAIN-GENERAL  OF  THE 
FORCE  WHICH  WAS  SENT  IN  THE  NAME 
OF  His  MAJESTY  TO  THE  NEWLY  DIS 
COVERED  COUNTRY,  OF  WHAT  HAPPENED 
TO  THE  EXPEDITION  AFTER  APRIL  22  OF 
THE  YEAR  MDXL,  WHEN  HE  STARTED 
FORWARD  FROM  CULIACAN,  AND  OF  WHAT 
HE  FOUND  IN  THE  COUNTRY  THROUGH 
WHICH  HE  PASSED. 

I 

Francisco  Vazquez  starts  from  Culiacan  with  his 
army,  and  after  suffering  various  inconveniences  on 
account  of  the  badness  of  the  way,  reaches  the  Val 
ley  of  Hearts,  where  he  failed  to  find  any  corn,  to 
procure  which  he  sends  to  the  valley  called  Senora. 
He  receives  an  account  of  the  important  Valley  of 
Hearts  and  of  the  people  there,  and  of  some  lands 
lying  along  that  coast. 

ON  the  22d  of  the  month  of  April  last,  I 
set  out  from  the  province  of  Culiacan  with 
a  part  of  the  army,  having  made  the  arrange  - 

1  Translated  from  the  Italian  version,  in  Ramusio's 
Viaggi,  vol.  iii.,  fol.  359  (ed.  1556).  There  is  another 
English  translation  in  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  vol.  iii., 
p.  373  (ed.  1600).  Hakluyt's  translation  is  reprinted 
in  Old  South  Leaflet,  general  series,  No.  20.  The 
proper  names,  excepting  such  as  are  properly  trans 
lated,  are  spelled  as  in  the  Italian  text. 
159 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

ments  of  which  I  wrote  to  Your  Lordship. 
Judging  by  the  outcome,  I  feel  sure  that 
it  was  fortunate  that  I  did  not  start  the 
whole  of  the  army  on  this  undertaking,  be 
cause  the  labors  have  been  so  very  great  and 
the  lack  of  food  such  that  I  do  not  believe 
this  undertaking  could  have  been  completed 
before  the  end  of  this  year,  and  that  there 
would  be  a  great  loss  of  life  if  it  should  be 
accomplished.  For,  as  I  wrote  to  Your 
Lordship,  I  spent  eighty  days  in  traveling  to 
Culiacan,1  during  which  time  I  and  the  gen 
tlemen  of  my  company,  who  were  horsemen, 
carried  on  our  backs  and  on  our  horses  a  lit 
tle  food,  in  such  wise  that  after  leaving  this 
place  none  of  us  carried  any  necessary  effects 
weighing  more  than  a  pound.  For  all  this, 
and  although  we  took  all  possible  care  and 
forethought  of  the  small  supply  of  provisions 
which  we  carried,  it  gave  out.  And  this  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  because  the  road  is 
rough  and  long,  and  what  with  our  harque 
buses,  which  had  to  be  carried  up  the  moun 
tains  and  hills  and  in  the  passage  of  the 
rivers,  the  greater  part  of  the  corn  was  lost. 
And  since  I  send  Your  Lordship  a  drawing 
of  this  route,  I  will  say  no  more  about  it 
here. 

1  This  statement  is  probably  not  correct.  It  may 
be  due  to  a  blunder  by  Ramusio  in  translating  from 
the  original  text.  Eighty  days  would  be  nearly  the 
time  which  Coronado  probably  spent  on  the  journey 
from  Culiacan  to  Cibola,  and  this  interpretation 
would  render  the  rest  of  the  sentence  much  more  in 
telligible. 

160 


THE   JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Thirty  leagues  before  reaching  the  place 
which  the  father  provincial  spoke  so  well  of 
in  his  report,1  I  sent  Melchior  Diaz  forward 
with  fifteen  horsemen,  ordering  him  to  make 
but  one  day's  journey  out  of  two,  so  that 
he  could  examine  everything  there  before  I 
arrived.  He  traveled  through  some  very 
rough  mountains  for  four  days,  and  did  not 
find  anything  to  live  on,  nor  people,  nor  in 
formation  about  anything,  except  that  he 
found  two  or  three  poor  villages,  with  twenty 
or  thirty  huts  apiece.  From  the  people 
here  he  learned  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
found  in  the  country  beyond  except  the 
mountains,  which  continued  very  rough,  en 
tirely  uninhabited  by  people.  And,  because 
this  was  labor  lost,  I  did  not  want  to  send 
Your  Lordship  an  account  of  it.  The  whole 
company  felt  disturbed  at  this,  that  a  thing 
so  much  praised,  and  about  which  the  father 
had  said  so  many  things,  should  be  found 
so  very  different;  and  they  began  to  think 
that  all  the  rest  would  be  of  the  same  sort. 

When  I  noticed  this,  I  tried  to  encourage 
them  as  well  as  I  could,  telling  them  that 
Your  Lordship  had  always  thought  that  this 
part  of  the  trip  would  be  a  waste  of  effort, 
and  that  we  ought  to  devote  our  attention  to 
those  Seven  Cities  and  the  other  provinces 
about  which  we  had  information — that  these 
should  be  the  end  of  our  enterprise.  With 
this  resolution  and  purpose,  we  all  marched 

1  The  valley  into  which  Friar  Marcos  did  not  dare 
to  enter 

161 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

cheerfully  along  a  very  bad  way,  where  it 
was  impossible  to  pass  without  making  a 
new  road  or  repairing  the  one  that  was  there, 
which  troubled  the  soldiers  not  a  little,  con 
sidering  that  everything  which  the  friar  had 
said  was  found  to  be  quite  the  reverse ;  be 
cause,  among  other  things  which  the  father 
had  said  and  declared,  he  said  that  the  way 
would  be  plain  and  good,  and  that  there 
would  be  only  one  small  hill  of  about  half  a 
league.  And  the  truth  is,  that  there  are 
mountains  where,  however  well  the  path 
might  be  fixed,  they  could  not  be  crossed 
without  there  being  great  danger  of  the 
horses  falling  over  them.  And  it  was  so 
bad  that  a  large  number  of  the  animals 
which  Your  Lordship  sent  as  provision  for 
the  army  were  lost  along  this  part  of  the 
way,  on  account  of  the  roughness  of  the 
rocks.  The  lambs  and  wethers  lost  their 
hoofs  along  the  way,  and  I  left  the  greater 
part  of  those  which  I  brought  from  Culiacan 
at  the  river  of  Lachirni,1  because  they  were 
unable  to  travel,  and  so  that  they  might  pro 
ceed  more  slowly. 

Four  horsemen  remained  with  them,  who 
have  just  arrived.  They  have  not  brought 
more  than  24  lambs  and  4  wethers;  the  rest 
died  from  the  toil,  although  they  did  not 
travel  more  than  two  leagues  daily.  I 
reached  the  Valley  of  Hearts  at  last,  on  the 
26th  day  of  the  month  of  May,  and  rested 

1  Doubtless  the  Yaquimi  or  Yaqui  river. 
162 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

there  a  number  of  days.  Between  Culiacan 
and  this  place  I  could  sustain  myself  only 
by  means  of  a  large  supply  of  corn  bread, 
because  I  had  to  leave  all  the  corn,  as  it  was 
not  yet  ripe.  In  this  Valley  of  Hearts  we 
found  more  people  than  in  any  part  of  the 
country  which  we  had  left  behind,  and  a 
large  extent  of  tilled  ground.  There  was  no 
corn  for  food  among  them,  but  as  I  heard 
that  there  was  some  in  another  valley  called 
Senora,  which  I  did  not  wish  to  disturb  by 
force.  I  sent  Melchior  Diaz  with  goods  to 
exchange  for  it,  so  as  to  give  this  to  the 
friendly  Indians  whom  we  brought  with  us, 
and  to  some  who  had  lost  their  animals 
along  the  way  and  had  not  been  able  to 
carry  the  food  which  they  had  taken  from 
Culiacan.  By  the  favor  of  Our  Lord,  some 
little  corn  was  obtained  by  this  trading, 
which  relieved  the  friendly  Indians  and 
some  Spaniards.  Ten  or  twelve  of  the 
horses  had  died  of  overwork  by  the  time  that 
we  reached  this  Valley  of  Hearts,  because 
they  were  unable  to  stand  the  strain  of  carry 
ing  heavy  burdens  and  eating  little.  Some 
of  our  negroes  and  some  of  the  Indians  also 
died  here,  which  was  not  a  slight  loss  for 
the  rest  of  the  expedition.  They  told  me 
that  the  Valley  of  Hearts  is  a  long  five-days' 
journey  from  the  western  sea.  I  sent  to 
summon  Indians  from  the  coast  in  order  to 
learn  about  their  condition,  and  while  I  was 
waiting  for  these  the  horses  rested.  I  stayed 
there  four  days,  during  which  the  Indians 
163 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

came  from  the  sea,  who  told  me  that  there 
were  seven  or  eight  islands  two  days'  journey 
from  that  seacoast,  directly  opposite,  well 
populated  with  people,  but  poorly  supplied 
with  food,  and  the  people  were  savages.1 
They  told  me  they  had  seen  a  ship  pass 
not  very  far  from  the  land.  I  do  not  know 
whether  to  think  that  it  was  the  one  which 
was  sent  to  discover  the  country,  or  perhaps 
some  Portuguese.2 


II 

They  come  to  Chicliilticale;  after  having  taken 
two  days'  rest,  they  enter  a  country  containing  very 
little  food  and  hard  to  travel  for  30  leagues,  beyond 
which  the  country  becomes  pleasant,  and  there  is  a 
river  called  the  River  of  the  Flax  (del  Lino);  they 
fight  against  the  Indians,  being  attacked  by  these; 
and  having  by  their  victory  secured  the  city,  they 
relieve  themselves  of  the  pangs  of  their  hunger. 

I  SET  out  from  the  Hearts  and  kept  near 
the  seacoast  as  well  as  I  could  judge,  but  in 
fact  I  found  myself  continually  farther  off, 
so  that  when  I  reached  Chicliilticale  I  found 
that  I  was  fifteen  days'  journey  distant  from 
the  sea,  although  the  father  provincial  had 

1  These  were  doubtless  the  Scri,  of  Yuman  stock, 
who  occupied  a  strip  of  the  Gulf  coast  between  lati 
tude  28°  and  29°  and  the  islands  Angel  de  la  Guardia 
and  Tiburon.     The  latter   island,  as  well  as   the 
coast  of  the  adjacent  mainland,  is  still  inhabited  by 
this  tribe. 

2  As  Indian  news  goes,  there  is  no  reason  why  this 
may  not  have  been  on'e  of  Ulloa's  ships,  which  sailed 
along  this  coast  during  the  previous  summer.     It 
can  hardly  have  been  a  ship  of  Alarcon's  fleet. 

164 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

said  that  it  was  only  5  leagues  distant  and 
that  he  had  seen  it.  We  all  became  very 
distrustful,  and  felt  great  anxiety  and  dis 
may  to  see  that  everything  was  the  reverse 
of  what  he  had  told  Your  Lordship.  The 
Indians'  of  Chichilticale  say  that  when  they 
go  to  the  sea  for  fish,  or  for  anything  else 
that  they  need,  they  go  across  the  country, 
and  that  it  takes  them  ten  days ;  and  this 
information  which  I  have  received  from  the 
Indians  appears  to  me  to  be  true.  The  sea 
turns  toward  the  west  directly  opposite  the 
Hearts  for  10  or  12  leagues,  where  I  learned 
that  the  ships  of  Your  Lordship  had  been 
seen,  which  had  gone-  in  search  of  the  port 
of  Chichilticale,  which  the  father  said  was 
on  the  thirty-fifth  degree. 

God  knows  what  I  have  suffered,  because 
I  fear  that  they  may  have  met  with  some 
mishap.  If  they  follow  the  coast,  as  they 
said  they  would,  as  long  as  the  food  lasts 
which  they  took  with  them,  of  which  I  left 
them  a  supply  in  Culiacan,  and  if  they  have 
not  been  overtaken  by  some  misfortune,  I 
maintain  my  trust  in  God  that  they  have 
already  discovered  something  good,  for  which 
the  delay  which  they  have  made  may  be 
pardoned.  I  rested  for  two  days  at  Chichil 
ticale,  and  there  was  good  reason  for  staying 
longer,  because  we  found  that  the  horses 
were  becoming  so  tired;  but  there  was  no 
chance  to  rest  longer,  because  the  food  was 
giving  out.  I  entered  the  borders  of  the 
wilderness  region  on  Saint  John's  eve,  and, 
165 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

for  a  change  from  our  past  labors,  we  found 
no  grass  during  the  first  days,  but  a  worse 
way  through  mountains  and  more  dangerous 
passages  than  we  had  experienced  previously. 
The  horses  were  so  tired  that  they  were  not 
equal  to  it,  so  that  in  this  last  desert  we  lost 
more  horses  than  before;  and  some  Indian 
allies  and  a  Spaniard  called  Spinosa,  besides 
two  negroes,  died  from  eating  some  herbs 
because  the  food  had  given  out. 

I  sent  the  army-master,  Don  Garcia  Lopez 
de  Cardenas,  with  15  horsemen,  a  day's 
march  ahead  of  me,  in  order  to  explore  the 
country  and  prepare  the  way,  which  he  ac 
complished  like  the  man  that  he  is,  and 
agreeably  to  the  confidence  which  Your  Lord 
ship  has  had  in  him.  I  am  the  more  certain 
that  he  did  so,  because,  as  I  have  said,  the 
way  is  very  bad  for  at  least  30  leagues  and 
more,  through  impassable  mountains.  But 
when  we  had  passed  these  30  leagues,  we 
found  fresh  rivers  and  grass  like  that  of  Cas 
tile,  and  especially  one  sort  like  what  we 
call  Scaramoio ;  many  nut  and  mulberry 
trees,  but  the  leaves  of  the  nut  trees  are  dif 
ferent  from  those  of  Spain.  There  was  a 
considerable  amount  of  flax  near  the  banks 
of  one  river,  which  was  called  on  this  ac 
count  El  Eio  del  Lino.  No  Indians  were 
seen  during  the  first  day's  march,  after  which 
four  Indians  came  out  with  signs  of  peace, 
saying  that  they  had  been  sent  to  that 
desert  place  to  say  that  we  were  welcome, 
and  that  on  the  next  day  the  tribe  would 
166 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 

provide  the  whole  force  with  food.  The 
army -master  gave  them  a  cross,  telling  them 
to  say  to  the  people  in  their  city  that  they 
need  not  fear,  and  that  they  should  have 
their  people  stay  in  their  own  houses,  be 
cause  I  was  coming  in  the  name  of  His  Maj 
esty  to  defend  and  help  them. 

After  this  was  done,  Ferrando  Alvarado 
came  back  to  tell  me  that  some  Indians  had 
met  him  peaceably,  and  that  two  of  them 
were  with  the  army-master  waiting  for  me. 
I  went  to  them  forthwith  and  gave  them 
some  paternosters  and  some  little  cloaks, 
telling  them  to  return  to  their  city  and  say 
to  the  people  there  that  they  could  stay 
quietly  in  their  houses  and  that  they  need 
not  fear.  After  this  I  ordered  the  army- 
master  to  go  and  see  if  there  were  any  bad 
passages  which  the  Indians  might  be  able  to 
defend,  and  to  seize  and  hold  any  such  until 
the  next  day,  when  I  would  come  up.  He 
went,  and  found  a  very  bad  place  in  our 
way  where  we  might  have  received  much 
harm.  He  immediately  established  himself 
there  with  the  force  which  he  was  conduct 
ing.  The  Indians  came  that  very  night  to 
occupy  that  place  so  as  to  defend  it,  and 
finding  it  taken,  they  assaulted  our  men. 
According  to  what  I  have  been  told,  they 
attacked  like  valiant  men,  although  in  the 
end  they  had  to  retreat  in  flight,  because  the 
army -master  was  on  the  watch  and  kept  his 
men  in  good  order.  The  Indians  sounded 
a  little  trumpet  as  a  sign  of  retreat,  and  did 
107 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

not  do  any  injury  to  the  Spaniards.  The 
army-master  sent  me  notice  of  this  the  same 
night,  so  that  on  the  next  day  I  started  with 
as  good  order  as  I  could,  for  we  were  in  such 
great  need  of  food  that  I  thought  we  should 
all  die  of  hunger  if  we  continued  to  be  with 
out  provisions  for  another  day,  especially  the 
Indians,  since  altogether  we  did  not  have 
two  bushels  of  corn,  and  so  I  was  obliged  to 
hasten  forward  without  delay.  The  Indians 
lighted  their  fires  from  point  to  point,  and 
these  were  answered  from  a  distance  with  as 
good  understanding  as  we  could  have  shown. 
Thus  notice  was  given  concerning  how  we 
went  and  where  we  had  arrived. 

As  soon  as  I  came  within  sight  of  this 
city,  I  sent  the  army-master,  Don  Garcia 
Lopez,  Friar  Daniel  and  Friar  Luis,  and  Fer- 
rando  Vermizzo,  with  some  horsemen,  a  little 
way  ahead,  so  that  they  might  find  the  In 
dians  and  tell  them  that  we  were  not  coming 
to  do  them  any  harm,  but  to  defend  them 
in  the  name  of  our  lord  the  Emperor.  The 
summons,  in  the  form  which  His  Majesty 
commanded  in  his  instructions,  was  made 
intelligible  to  the  people  of  the  country  by 
an  interpreter.  But  they,  being  a  proud 
people,  were  little  affected,  because  it  seemed 
to  them  that  we  were  few  in  number,  and 
that  they  would  not  have  any  difficulty  in 
conquering  us.  They  pierced  the  gown  of 
Friar  Luis  with  an  arrow,  which,  blessed  be 
God,  did  him  no  harm.  Meanwhile  I  ar 
rived  with  all  the  rest  of  the  horse  and  the 
168 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

footmen,  and  found  a  large  body  of  the  In 
dians  on  the  plain,  who  began  to  shoot  with 
their  arrows.  In  obedience  to  the  orders  of 
Your  Lordship  and  of  the  marquis,1  I  did 
not  wish  my  company,  who  were  begging 
me  for  permission,  to  attack  them,  telling 
them  that  they  ought  not  to  offend  them, 
and  that  what  the  enemy  was  doing  was 
nothing,  and  that  so  few  people  ought  not 
to  be  insulted.  On  the  other  hand,  when 
the  Indians  saw  that  we  did  not  move,  they 
took  greater  courage,  and  grew  so  bold  that 
they  came  up  almost  to  the  heels  of  our 
horses  to  shoot  their  arrows.  On  this  ac 
count  I  saw  that  it  was  no  longer  time  to 
hesitate,  and  as  the  priests  approved  the  ac 
tion,  I  charged  them.  There  was  little  to 
do,  because  they  suddenly  took  to  flight, 
part  running  toward  the  city,  which  was 
near  and  well  fortified,  and  others  toward 
the  plain,  wherever  chance  led  them.  Some 
Indians  were  killed,  and  others  might  have 
been  slain  if  I  could  have  allowed  them  to 
be  pursued.  But  I  saw  that  there  would  be 
little  advantage  in  this,  because  the  Indians 
who  were  outside  were  few,  and  those  who 
had  retired  to  the  city  were  numerous,  be 
sides  many  who  had  remained  there  in  the 
first  place. 

As  that  was  where  the  food  was,  of  which 

1  It  is  possible  that  this  is  a  blunder,  in  Ramusio's 
text,  for  "His  Majesty."     The  Marquis,  in  New 
Spain,  is  always  Cortes,  for  whom  neither  Mendoza 
nor  Coronado  had  any  especial  regard, 
169 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

we  stood  in  such  great  need,  I  assembled 
my  whole  force  and  divided  them  as  seemed 
to  me  best  for  the  attack  on  the  city,  and 
surrounded  it.  The  hunger  which  we  suffered 
would  not  permit  of  any  delay,  and  so  I  dis 
mounted  with  some  of  these  gentlemen  and 
soldiers.  I  ordered  the  musketeers  and 
crossbowmen  to  begin  the  attack  and  drive 
back  the  enemy  from  the  defenses,  so  that 
they  could  not  do  us  any  injury.  I  as 
saulted  the  wall  on  one  side,  where  I  was 
told  that  there  was  a  scaling  ladder  and  that 
there  was  also  a  gate.  But  the  crossbow- 
men  broke  all  the  strings  of  their  crossbows 
and  the  musketeers  could  do  nothing,  lie- 
cause  they  had  arrived  so  weak  and  feeble 
that  they  could  scarcely  stand  on  their  feet. 
On  this  account  the  people  who  were  on 
top  were  not  prevented  at  all  from  defending 
themselves  and  doing  us  whatever  injury 
they  were  able.  Thus,  for  myself,  they 
knocked  me  down  to  the  ground  twice  with 
countless  great  stones  which  they  threw 
down  from  above,  and  if  I  had  not  been  pro 
tected  by  the  very  good  headpiece  which  I 
wore,  I  think  that  the  outcome  would  have 
been  bad  for  me.  They  picked  me  up  from 
the  ground,  however,  with  two  small  wounds 
in  my  face  and  an  arrow  in  my  foot,  and 
with  many  bruises  on  my  arms  and  legs,  and 
in  this  condition  I  retired  from  the  battle, 
very  weak.  I  think  that  if  Don  Garcia 
Lopez  de  Cardenas  had  not  come  to  my  help, 
like  a  good  cavalier,  the  second  time  that 

170 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

they  knocked  me  to  the  ground,  by  placing 
his  own  body  above  mine,  I  should  have 
been  in  much  greater  danger  than  I  was. 
But,  by  the  pleasure  of  God,  these  Indians 
surrendered,  and  their  city  was  taken  with 
the  help  of  Our  Lord,  and  a  sufficient  supply 
of  corn  was  found  there  to  relieve  our 
necessities. 

The  army-master  and  Don  Pedro  de  Tovar 
and  Ferrando  de  Alvarado  and  Paulo  de 
Melgosa,  the  infantry  captain,  sustained 
some  bruises,  although  none  of  them  were 
wounded.  Agoniez  Quarez  was  hit  in  the 
arm  by  an  arrow,  and  one  Torres,  who  lived 
in  Panuco,  in  the  face  by  another,  and  two 
other  footmen  received  slight  arrow  wounds. 
They  all  directed  their  attack  against  me 
because  my  armor  was  gilded  and  glittered, 
and  on  this  account  I  was  hurt  more  than 
the  rest,  and  not  because  I  had  done  more  or 
was  farther  in  advance  than  the  others ;  for 
all  these  gentlemen  and  soldiers  bore  them 
selves  well,  as  was  expected  of  them.  I 
praise  God  that  I  am  now  well,  although 
somewhat  sore  from  the  stones.  Two  or 
three  other  soldiers  were  hurt  in  the  battle 
which  we  had  on  the  plain,  and  three  horses 
were  killed — one  that  of  Don  Lopez  and 
another  that  of  Vigliega  and  the  third  that 
of  Don  Alfonso  Manrich — and  seven  or  eight 
other  horses  were  wounded ;  but  the  men,  as 
well  as  the  horses,  have  now  recovered  and 
are  well. 


171 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 


III 

Of  the  situation  and  condition  of  the  Seven  Cities 
called  the  kingdom  of  Cevola,  and  the  sort  of  people 
and  their  customs,  and  of  the  animals  which  are 
found  there. 

IT  now  remains  for  me  to  tell  about  this 
city  and  kingdom  and  province,  of  which 
the  Father  Provincial  gave  Your  Lordship 
an  account.  In  brief,  I  can  assure  you  that 
in  reality  he  has  not  told  the  truth  in  a  sin 
gle  thing  that  he  said,  but  everything  is  the 
reverse  of  what  he  said,  except  the  name  of 
the  city  and  the  large  stone  houses.  For, 
although  they  are  not  decorated  with  tur 
quoises,  nor  made  of  lime  nor  of  good  bricks, 
nevertheless  they  are  very  good  houses,  with 
three  and  four  and  five  stories,  where  there 
are  very  good  apartments  and  good  rooms 
with  corridors,1  and  some  very  good  rooms 
under  ground  and  paved,  which  are  made 
for  winter,  and  are  something  like  a  sort  of 
hot  baths.'2  The  ladders  which  they  have 
for  their  houses  are  all  movable  and  portable, 
which  are  taken  up  and  placed  wherever 
they  please.  They  are  made  of  two  pieces 
of  wood,  with  rounds  like  ours. 

The  Seven  Cities  are  seven  little  villages, 

1  Hakluyt :  .  .  .  "  very  excellent  good  houses  of 
three  or  foure  or  flue  lofts  high,  wherein  are  good 
lodgings  and  faire  chambers  with  lathers  in  stead  of 
staires." 

2  The  kivas  or  ceremonial  chambers. 

172 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

all  having  the  kind  of  houses  I  have  de 
scribed.  They  are  all  within  a  radius  of  5 
leagues.  They  are  all  called  the  kingdom 
of  Cevola,  and  each  has  its  own  name  and 
no  single  one  is  called  Cevola,  but  all  to 
gether  are  called  Cevola.  This  one  which  I 
have  called  a  city  I  have  named  Granada, 
partly  because  it  has  some  similarity  to  it, 
as  well  as  out  of  regard  for  Your  Lordship. 
In  this  place  where  I  am  now  lodged  there 
are  perhaps  200  houses,  all  surrounded  by  a 
wall,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  with  the  other 
houses,  which  are  not  so  surrounded,  there 
might  be  altogether  500  families.  There  is 
another  town  near  by,  which  is  one  of  the 
seven,  but  somewhat  larger  than  this,  and 
another  of  the  same  size  as  this,  and  the 
other  four  are  somewhat  smaller.  I  send 
them  all  to  Your  Lordship,  painted  with 
the  route.  The  skin  on  which  the  painting 
is  made  was  found  here  with  other  skins. 

The  people  of  the  towns  seem  to  me  to  be 
of  ordinary  size  and  intelligent,  although  I 
do  not  think  that  they  have  the  judgment 
and  intelligence  which  they  ought  to  have 
to  build  these  houses  in  the  way  in  which 
they  have,  for  most  of  them  are  entirely 
naked  except  the  covering  of  their  privy 
parts,  and  they  have  painted  mantles  like 
the  one  which  I  send  to  Your  Lordship. 
They  do  not  raise  cotton,  because  the  coun 
try  is  very  cold,  but  they  wear  mantles,  as 
may  be  seen  by  the  exhibit  which  I  send. 
It  is  also  true  that  some  cotton  thread  was 
173 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 

found  in  their  houses.  They  wear  the  hair 
on  their  heads  like  the  Mexicans.  They  all 
have  good  figures,  and  are  well  bred.  I 
think  that  they  have  a  quantity  of  turquoises, 
which  they  had  removed  with  the  rest  of 
their  goods,  except  the  corn,  when  I  arrived, 
because  I  did  not  find  any  women  here  nor 
any  men  under  15  years  or  over  60,  except 
two  or  three  old  men  who  remained  in  com 
mand  of  all  the  other  men  and  the  warriors. 
Two  points  of  emerald  and  some  little  broken 
stones  which  approach  the  color  of  rather 
poor  garnets  l  were  found  in  a  paper,  besides 
other  stone  crystals,  which  I  gave  to  one  of 
my  servants  to  keep  until  they  could  be 
sent  to  Your  Lordship.  He  has  lost  them, 
as  they  tell  me.  We  found  fowls,  but  only 
a  few,  and  yet  there  are  some.  The  Indians 
tell  me  that  they  do  not  eat  these  in  any  of 
the  seven  villages,  but  that  they  keep  them 
merely  for  the  sake  of  procuring  the  feathers.'' 
I  do  not  believe  this,  because  they  are 
very  good,  and  better  than  those  of  Mexico. 
The  climate  of  this  country  and  the  tem 
perature  of  the  air  is  almost  like  that  of 
Mexico,  because  it  is  sometimes  hot  and 
sometimes  it  rains.  I  have  not  yet  seen  it 
rain,  however,  except  once  when  there  fell  a 
little  shower  with  wind,  such  as  often  falls 

1  Many  garnets  are  found  on  the  ant-hills  through 
out  the  region,  especially  in  the  Navajo  country. 

2  The  natives  doubtless  told  the  truth.     Eagle  and 
turkey  feathers  are  still  highly  prized  by  them  for 
use  in  their  ceremonies. 

174 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

iu  Spain.  The  snow  and  the  cold  are  usu 
ally  very  great,  according  to  what  the  natives 
of  the  country  all  say.  This  may  very 
probably  be  so,  both  because  of  the  nature  of 
the  country  and  the  sort  of  houses  they  build 
and  the  skins  and  other  things  which  these 
people  have  to  protect  them  from  the  cold. 
There  are  no  kinds  of  fruit  or  fruit  trees. 
The  country  is  all  level,  and  is  nowhere  shut 
in  by  high  mountains,  although  there  are 
some  hills  and  rough  passages.1  There  are 
not  many  birds,  probably  because  of  the 
cold,  and  because  there  are  no  mountains 
near.  There  are  no  trees  fit  for  firewood 
here,  because  they  can  bring  enough  for 
their  needs  from  a  clump  of  very  small 
cedars  4  leagues  distant.2  Very  good  grass 
is  found  a  quarter  of  a  league  away,  where 
there  is  pasturage  for  our  horses  as  well  as 
mowing  for  hay,  of  which  we  had  great 
need,  because  our  horses  were  so  weak  and 
feeble  when  they  arrived. 

The  food  which  they  eat  in  this  country 
is  corn,  of  which  they  have  a  great  abun 
dance,  and  beans  and  venison,  which  they 
probably  eat  (although  they  say  that  they  do 
not),  because  we  found  many  skins  of  deer 
and  hares  and  rabbits.  They  make  the  best 


1  It  should  be  noted  that  Coronado  clearly  distin 
guishes  between  hills  or  mesas  and  mountains.     Zuni 
valley  is  hemmed  in  by  heights  varying  from  500  to 
1,000  feet. 

2  This  accords  perfectly  with  the  condition  of  the 
vegetation  in  Zuni  valley  at  the  present  time. 

175 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

corn  cakes  I  have  ever  seen  anywhere,  and 
this  is  what  everybody  ordinarily  eats.  They 
have  the  very  best  arrangement  and  machin 
ery  for  grinding  that  was  ever  seen  [plate 
LXiv].  One  of  these  Indian  women  here 
will  grind  as  much  as  four  of  the  Mexicans. 
They  have  very  good  salt  in  crystals,  which 
they  bring  from  a  lake  a  day's  journey  dis 
tant  from  here.  No  information  can  be  ob 
tained  among  them  about  the  North  sea  or 
that  on  the  west,  nor  do  I  know  how  to  tell 
Your  Lordship  which  we  are  nearest  to.  1 
should  judge  that  it  is  nearer  to  the  western, 
and  150  leagues  is  the  nearest  that  it  seems 
to  me  it  can  be  thither.  The  North  sea 
ought  to  be  much  farther  away.  Your  Lord 
ship  may  thus  see  how  very  wide  the  coun 
try  is.  They  have  many  animals — bears, 
tigers,  lions,  porcupines,  and  some  sheep  as 
big  as  a  horse,  with  very  large  horns  and 
little  tails.  I  have  seen  some  of  their  horns 
the  size  of  which  was  something  to  marvel 
at.  There  are  also  wild  goats,  whose  heads 
I  have  seen,  and  the  paws  of  the  bears  and 
the  skins  of  the  wild  boars.  For  game  they 
have  deer,  leopards,  and  very  large  deer,1 
and  every  one  thinks  that  some  of  them  are 
larger  than  that  animal  which  Your  Lordship 
favored  me  with,  which  belonged  to  Juan 
Melaz.  They  inhabit  some  plains  eight 
days'  journey  toward  the  north.  They  have 
some  of  their  skins  here  very  well  dressed, 

1  Doubtless  a  slip  of  Ramusio's  pen  for  cows,  i.  e., 
buffalos. 

176 


THE   JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

and  they  prepare  and  paint  them  where  they 
kill  the  cows,  according  to  what  they  tell 
me. 

IV 

Of  the  nature  and  situation  of  the  kingdoms  of 
Totonteac,  Marata,  and  Acus,  wholly  different  from 
the  account  of  Friar  Marcos.  The  conference  which 
they  had  with  the  Indians  of  the  city  of  Granada, 
which  they  had  captured,  who  had  been  forewarned 
of  the  coining  of  Christians  into  their  country  fifty 
years  before.  The  account  which  was  obtained 
from  them  concerning  seven  other  cities,  of  which 
Tucano  is  the  chief,  and  how  he  sent  to  discover 
them.  A  present  sent  to  Mendoza  of  various  things 
found  in  this  country  by  Vazquez  Coronado. 

THESE  Indians  say  that  the  kingdom  of 
Totonteac,  which  the  father  provincial  praised 
so  much,  saying  that  it  was  something  mar 
velous,  and  of  such  a  very  great  size,  and  that 
cloth  was  made  there,  is  a  hot  lake,  on  the 
edge  of  which  there  are  five  or  six  houses.1 
There  used  to  be  some  others,  but  these 
have  been  destroyed  by  war.  The  kingdom 
of  Marata  can  not  be  found,  nor  do  these 
Indians  know  any  thing  a  bout  it.  The  king 
dom  of  Acus  is  a  single  small  city,  where 
they  raise  cotton,  and  this  is  called  Acucu.2 
I  say  that  this  is  the  country,  because  Acus, 
with  or  without  the  aspiration,  is  not  a  word 

1  Coronado  doubtless  misinterpreted  what  the  na 
tives  intended  to  communicate.     The  "hot  lake" 
was  in  all  probability  the  salt  lake  alluded  to  on 
page  154,  near  which  Marata  was  situated.     Toton 
teac  was  of  course  Tusayan,  or  "Tucano." 

2  This  is  a  form  of  the  Zuni  name  for  Acoma — 
Hakukia. 

177 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  COKONADO 

in  this  region ;  and  because  it  seems  to  me 
that  Acucu  may  be  derived  from  Acus,  I  say 
that  it  is  this  town  which  has  been  converted 
into  the  kingdom  of  Acus.  They  tell  me 
that  there  are  some  other  small  ones  not  far 
from  this  settlement,  which  are  situated  on 
a  river  which  I  have  seen  and  of  which  the 
Indians  have  told  me.  God  knows  that  I 
wish  I  had  better  news  to  write  to  Your 
Lordship,  but  I  must  give  you  the  truth, 
and,  as  I  wrote  you  from  Culiacan,  I  must 
advise  you  of  the  good  as  well  as  of  the  bad. 
But  you  may  be  assured  that  if  there  had 
been  all  the  riches  and  treasures  of  the 
world,  I  could  not  have  done  more  in  His 
Majesty's  service  and  in  that  of  Your  Lord 
ship  than  I  have  done,  in  coming  here  where 
you  commanded  me  to  go,  carrying,  both  my 
companions  and  myself,  our  food  on  our 
backs  for  300  leagues,  and  traveling  on  foot 
many  days,  making  our  way  over  hills  and 
rough  mountains,  besides  other  labors  which 
I  refrain  from  mentioning.  Nor  do  I  think 
of  stopping  until  my  death,  if  it  serves  His 
Majesty  or  Your  Lordship  to  have  it  so. 

Three  days  after  I  captured  this  city,  some 
of  the  Indians  who  lived  here  came  to  offer 
to  make  peace.  They  brought  me  some  tur 
quoises  and  poor  mantles,  and  I  received 
them  in  His  Majesty's  name  with  as  good  a 
speech  as  I  could,  making  them  understand 
the  purpose  of  my  coming  to  this  country, 
which  is,  in  the  name  of  His  Majesty  and 
by  the  commands  of  Your  Lordship,  that 
178 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

they  and  all  others  in  this  province  should 
become  Christians  and  should  know  the  true 
God  for  their  Lord,  and  His  Majesty  for 
their  king  and  earthly  lord.  After  this  they 
returned  to  their  houses  and  suddenly,  the 
next  day,  they  packed  up  their  goods  and 
property,  their  women  and  children,  and 
fled  to  the  hills,  leaving  their  towns  deserted, 
with  only  some  few  remaining  in  them. 
Seeing  this,  I  went  to  the  town  which  I  said 
was  larger  than  this,  eight  or  ten  days  later, 
when  I  had  recovered  from  my  wounds.  I 
found  a  few  of  them  there,  whom  I  told  that 
they  ought  not  to  feel  any  fear,  and  I  asked 
them  to  summon  their  lord  to  me.  By 
what  I  can  find  out  or  observe,  however, 
none  of  these  towns  have  any,  since  I  have 
not  seen  any  principal  house  by  which  any 
superiority  over  others  could  be  shown.1 
Afterward,  an  old  man,  who  said  he  was 
their  lord,  came  with  a  mantle  made  of  many 
pieces,  with  whom  I  argued  as  long  as  he 
stayed  with  me.  He  said  that  he  would 
corne  to  see  me  with  the  rest  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  country,  three  days  later,  in  order  to 
arrange  the  relations  which  should  exist  be 
tween  us.  He  did  so,  and  they  brought  me 
some  little  ragged  mantles  and  some  tur- 


1  As  clear  a  description  of  the  form  of  tribal  gov 
ernment  among  the  Pueblo  Indians  as  is  anywhere 
to  be  found  is  in  Bandelier's  story,  The  Delight 
Makers.  Mr.  Bandolier  has  been  most  successful  in 
his  effort  to  picture  the  actions  and  spirit  of  Indian 
life. 

179 


THE  JOURNEY   OP  CORONADO 

quoises.  I  said  that  they  ought  to  come 
down  from  their  strongholds  and  return  to 
their  houses  with  their  wives  and  children, 
and  that  they  should  become  Christians,  and 
recognize  His  Majesty  as  their  king  and 
lord.  But  they  still  remain  in  their  strong 
holds,  with  their  wives  and  all  their  property. 
I  commanded  them  to  have  a  cloth  painted 
for  me,  with  all  the  animals  that  they  know 
in  that  country,  and  although  they  are  poor 
painters,  they  quickly  painted  two  for  me, 
one  of  the  animals  and  the  other  of  the  birds 
and  fishes.  They  say  that  they  will  bring 
their  children  so  that  our  priests  may  in 
struct  them,  and  that  they  desire  to  know 
our  law.  They  declare  that  it  was  foretold 
among  them  more  than  fifty  years  ago  that 
a  people  such  as  we  are  should  come,  and 
the  direction  they  should  come  from,  and 
that  the  whole  country  would  be  conquered. 
So  far  as  I  can  find  out,  the  water  is  what 
these  Indians  worship,  because  they  say  that 
it  makes  the  corn  grow  and  sustains  their 
life,  and  that  the  only  other  reason  they 
know  is  because  their  ancestors  did  so.1  I 
have  tried  in  every  way  to  find  out  from  the 
natives  of  these  settlements  whether  they 
know  of  any  other  peoples  or  provinces  or 


1  Dr.  J.  Walter  Fewkes  has  conclusively  shown 
that  the  snake  dance,  probably  the  most  dramatic  of 
Indian  ceremonials,  is  essentially  a  prayer  for  rain. 
Coming  as  it  does  just  as  the  natural  rainy  season 
approaches,  the  prayer  is  almost  invariably  an 
swered. 

180 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

cities.  They  tell  me  about  seven  cities 
which  are  at  a  considerable  distance,  which 
are  like  these,  except  that  the  houses  there 
are  not  like  these,  but  are  made  of  earth 
[adobe] ,  and  small,  and  that  they  raise  much 
cotton  there.  The  first  of  these  four  places 
about  which  they  know  is  called,  they  say, 
Tucano.  They  could  not  tell  me  much 
about  the  others.  I  do  not  believe  that  they 
tell  me  the  truth,  because  they  think  that  I 
shall  soon  have  to  depart  from  them  and  re 
turn  home.  But  they  will  quickly  find  that 
they  are  deceived  in  this.  I  sent  Don  Pedro 
de  Tobar  there,  with  his  company  and  some 
other  horsemen,  to  see  it.  I  would  not  have 
dispatched  this  packet  to  Your  Lordship 
until  I  had  learned  what  he  found  there,  if 
I  thought  that  I  should  have  any  news 
from  him.  within  twelve  or  fifteen  days. 
However,  as  he  will  remain  away  at  least 
thirty,  and,  considering  that  this  information 
is  of  little  importance  and  that  the  cold  and 
the  rains  are  approaching,  it  seemed  to  me 
that  I  ought  to  do  as  Your  Lordship  com 
manded  me  in  your  instructions,  which  is, 
that  as  soon  as  I  arrived  here,  I  should  ad 
vise  you  thereof,  and  this  I  do,  by  sending 
you  the  plain  narrative  of  what  I  have  seen, 
which  is  bad  enough,  as  you  may  perceive. 
I  have  determined  to  send  throughout  all  the 
surrounding  regions,  in  order  to  find  out 
whether  there  is  anything,  and  to  suffer 
every  extremity  before  I  give  up  this  enter 
prise,  and  to  serve  His  Majesty,  if  I  can  find 
181 


TUP:  JOURNEY   OF  COKONADO 

any  way  in  which  to  do  it,  and  not  to  lack 
in  diligence  until  Your  Lordship  directs  me 
as  to  what  I  ought  to  do. 

We  have  great  need  of  pasture,  and  you 
should  know,  also,  that  among  all  those  who 
are  here  there  is  not  one  pound  of  raisins, 
nor  sugar,  nor  oil,  nor  wine,  except  barely 
half  a  quart,  which  is  saved  to  say  mass, 
since  everything  is  consumed,  and  part  was 
lost  on  the  way.  Now,  you  can  provide  us 
with  what  appears  best ;  but  if  you  are  think 
ing  of  sending  us  cattle,  you  should  know 
that  it  will  be  necessary  for  them  to  spend 
at  least  a  year  on  the  road,  because  they  can 
not  come  in  any  other  way,  nor  any  quicker. 
I  would  have  liked  to  send  to  Your  Lord 
ship,  with  this  dispatch,  many  samples  of 
the  things  which  they  have  in  this  country, 
but  the  trip  is  so  long  and  rough  that  it  is 
difficult  for  me  to  do  so.  However,  I  send 
you  twelve  small  mantles,  such  as  the  people 
of  this  country  ordinarily  wear,  and  a  gar 
ment  which  seems  to  me  to  be  very  well 
made.  I  kept  it  because  it  seemed  to  me  to 
be  of  very  good  workmanship,  and  because  I 
do  not  think  that  anyone  has  ever  seen  in 
these  Indies  any  work  done  with  a  needle, 
unless  it  were  done  since  the  Spaniards  set 
tled  here.  And  I  also  send  two  cloths 
painted  with  the  animals  which  they  have 
in  this  country,  although,  as  I  said,  the 
painting  is  very  poorly  done,  because  the 
artist  did  not  spend  more  than  one  day  in 
painting  it.  I  have  seen  other  paintings  on 
182 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

the  walls  of  these  houses  which  have  much 
better  proportion  and  are  done  much  better. 
I  send  you  a  cow  skin,  some  turquoises, 
and  two  earrings  of  the  same,  and  fifteen  of 
the  Indian  combs,1  and  some  plates  decorat 
ed  with  these  turquoises,  and  two  baskets 
made  of  wicker,  of  which  the  Indians  have 
a  large  supply.  I  also  send  two  rolls,  such 
as  the  women  usually  wear  on  their  heads 
when  they  bring  water  from  the  spring,  the 
same  way  that  they  do  in  Spain.  One  of 
these  Indian  women,  with  one  of  these  rolls 
on  her  head,  will  carry  a  jar  of  water  up  a 
ladder  without  touching  it  with  her  hands. 
And,  lastly,  I  send  you  samples  of  the  weap 
ons  with  which  the  natives  of  this  country 
tight,  a  shield,  a  hammer,  and  a  bow  with 
some  arrows,  among  which  there  are  two 
with  bone  points,  the  like  of  which  have 
never  been  seen,  according  to  what  these 
conquerors  say.  As  far  as  I  can  judge,  it 
does  not  appear  to  me  that  there  is  any  hope 
of  getting  gold  or  silver,  but  I  trust  in  God 
that,  if  there  is  any,  we  shall  get  our  share 
of  it,  and  it  shall  not  escape  us  through  any 
lack  of  diligence  in  the  search.2  I  am  una 
ble  to  give  Your  Lordship  any  certain  in 
formation  about  the  dress  of  the  women, 
because  the  Indians  keep  them  guarded  so 


1  Possibly  those  used  in  weaving. 

2  The  conquerors,  in  the  literature  of  New  Spain, 
are  almost  always  those  who  shared  with  Cortes  in 
the  labors  and  the  glory  of  the  Spanish  conquest  of 
Mexico. 

183 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

carefully  that  I  have  not  seen  any,  except 
two  old  women.  These  had  on  two  long 
skirts  reaching  down  to  their  feet  and  open  in 
front,  and  a  girdle,  and  they  are  tied  together 
with  some  cotton  strings.  I  asked  the  In 
dians  to  give  me  one  of  those  which  they 
wore,  to  send  to  you,  since  they  were  not 
willing  to  show  me  the  women.  They 
brought  me  two  mantles,  which  are  these 
that  I  send,  almost  painted  over.  They 
have  two  tassels,  like  the  women  of  Spain, 
which  hang  somewhat  over  their  shoulders. 
The  death  of  the  negro  is  perfectly  certain, 
because  many  of  the  things  which  he  wore 
have  been  found,  and  the  Indians  say  that 
they  killed  him  here  because  the  Indians  of 
Chichilticale  said  that  he  was  a  bad  man, 
and  not  like  the  Christians,  because  the 
Christians  never  kill  women,  and  he  killed 
them,  and  because  he  assaulted  their  women, 
whom  the  Indians  love  better  than  them 
selves.  Therefore  they  determined  to  kill 
him,  but  they  did  not  do  it  in  the  way  that 
was  reported,  because  they  did  not  kill  any 
of  the  others  who  came  with  him,  nor  did 
they  kill  the  lad  from  the  province  of  Petat- 
lan,  who  was  with  him,  but  they  took  him 
and  kept  him  in  safe  custody  until  now. 
When  I  tried  to  secure  him,  they  made  ex 
cuses  for  not  giving  him  to  me,  for  two  or 
three  days,  saying  that  he  was  dead,  and  at 
other  times  that  the  Indians  of  Acucu  had 
taken  him  away.  But  when  I  finally  told 
them  that  I  should  be  very  angry  if  they 
184 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

did  not  give  him  to  me,  they  gave  him  to 
me.  He  is  au  interpreter;  for  although  he 
can  not  talk  much,  he  understands  very 
well. 

Some  gold  and  silver  has  been  found  in 
this  place,  which  those  who  know  about  min 
erals  say  is  not  bad.  I  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  learn  from  these  people  where  they 
got  it.  I  perceive  that  they  refuse  to  tell 
me  the  truth  in  everything,  because  they 
think  that  I  shall  have  to  depart  from  here 
in  a  short  time,  as  I  have  said.  But  I  trust 
in  God  that  they  will  not  be  able  to  avoid 
answering  much  longer.  I  beg  Your  Lord 
ship  to  make  a  report  of  the  success  of  this 
expedition  to  His  Majesty,  because  there  is 
nothing  more  than  what  I  have  already  said. 
I  shall  not  do  so  until  it  shall  please  God  to 
grant  that  we  find  what  we  desire.  Our 

Lord  God  protect  and  keep  your  most  illus 
trious  Lordship.  From  the  province  of 
Cevola,  and  this  city  of  Granada,  the  3d  of 
August,  1540.  Francisco  Vazquez  de  Coro- 
nado  kisses  the  hand  of  your  most  illustrious 
Lordship. 


185 


TRANSLATION    OF   THE    TRASLADO 
DE   LAS   NUEVAS1 

COPY  OF  THE  REPORTS  AND  DESCRIPTIONS 
THAT  HAVE  BEEN  RECEIVED  REGARDING 
THE  DISCOVERY  or  A  CITY  WHICH  is 
CALLED  ClBOLA,  SITUATED  IN  THE  NEW 
COUNTRY. 

His  grace  left  the  larger  part  of  his  army 
in  the  valley  of  Culiacau,  and  with  only  75 
companions  on  horseback  and  30  footmen, 
he  set  out  for  here  Thursday,  April  22.  The 
army  which  remained  there  was  to  start 
about  the  end  of  the  month  of  May,  because 
they  could  not  find  any  sort  of  sustenance 
for  the  whole  of  the  way  that  they  had  to 
go,  as  far  as  this  province  of  Cibola,  which 
is  350  long  leagues,  and  on  this  account  he 
did  not  dare  to  put  the  whole  army  on  the 
road.  As  for  the  men  he  took  with  him,  he 
ordered  them  to  make  provision  for  eighty 
days,  which  was  carried  on  horses,  each  hav 
ing  one  for  himself  and  his  followers.  With 
very  great  danger  of  suffering  hunger,  and 

1  Translated  from  Pacheco  y  Cardenas,  Documen- 
tos  de  Indias,  vol.  xix.,  p.  E29.  This  document  is 
anonymous,  but  it  is  evidently  a  copy  of  a  letter 
from  some  trusted  companion,  written  from  Granada- 
Hawikuh,  about  the  time  of  Coronado's  letter  of 
August  3,  1540.  In  the  title  to  the  document  as 
printed,  the  date  is  given  as  1531,  but  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  it  is  an  account  of  Coronado's  journey. 
186 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

not  less  labor,  since  they  had  to  open  the 
way,  and  every  day  discovered  waterways 
and  rivers  with  bad  crossings,  they  stood  it- 
after  a  fashion,  and  on  the  whole  journey 
as  far  as  this  province  there  was  not  a  peck 
of  corn. 

He  reached  this  province  on  Wednesday, 
the  7th  of  July  last,  with  all  the  men  whom 
he  led  from  the  valley  very  well,  praise  be 
to  Our  Lord,  except  one  Spaniard  who  died 
of  hunger  four  days  from  here  and  some 
negroes  and  Indians  who  also  died  of  hunger 
and  thirst.  The  Spaniard  was  one  of  those 
on  foot,  and  was  named  Espinosa.  In  this 
way  his  grace  spent  seventy-seven  clays  on 
the  road  before  reaching  here,  during  which 
God  knows  in  what  sort  of  a  way  we  lived, 
and  whether  we  could  have  eaten  much 
more  than  we  ate  the  day  that  his  grace 
reached  this  city  of  Granada,  for  so  it  has 
been  named  out  of  regard  for  the  viceroy, 
and  because  they  say  it  resembles  the  Albai- 
cin.1  The  force  he  led  was  not  received  the 
way  it  should  have  been,  because  they  all 
arrived  very  tired  from  the  great  labor  of  the 
journey.  This,  and  the  loading  and  unload 
ing  like  so  many  muleteers,  and  not  eating 
as  much  as  they  should  have,  left  them  more 
in  need  of  resting  several  days  than  of  fight 
ing,  although  there  was  not  a  man  in  the 

1  A  part  of  Granada,  near  the  Alhambra.  There 
is  a  curious  similarity  in  the  names  Albaicin  and 
Hawikuh,  the  latter  being  the  native  name  of  Coro- 
nado's  Granada. 

187 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

army  who  would  not  have  done  his  best  in 
everything  if  the  horses,  who  suffered  the 
same  as  their  masters,  could  have  helped 
them. 

The  city  was  deserted  by  men  over  sixty 
years  and  under  twenty,  and  by  women  and 
children.  All  who  were  there  were  the 
fighting  men  who  remained  to  defend  the 
city,  and  many  of  them  came  out,  about  a 
crossbow  shot,  uttering  loud  threats.  The 
general  himself  went  forward  with  two  priests 
and  the  army-master,  to  urge  them  to  sur 
render,  as  is  the  custom  in  new  countries. 
The  reply  that  he  received  was  from  many 
arrows  which  they  let  fly,  and  they  wounded 
Hernando  Bermejo's  horse  and  pierced  the 
loose  flap  of  the  frock  of  father  Friar  Luis, 
the  former  companion  of  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
Mexico.  When  this  was  seen,  taking  as 
their  advocate  the  Holy  Saint  James,1  he 
rushed  upon  them  with  all  his  force,  which 
he  had  kept  in  very  good  order,  and  although 
the  Indians  turned  their  backs  and  tried  to 
reach  the  city,  they  were  overtaken  and 
many  of  them  killed  before  they  could  reach 
it.  They  killed  three  horses  and  wounded 
seven  or  eight. 

When  my  lord  the  general  reached  the  city, 
he  saw  that  it  was  surrounded  by  stone 
walls,  and  the  houses  very  high,  four  and 
five  and  even  six  stories  apiece,  with  their 
flat  roofs  and  balconies.  As  the  Indians 

1  Uttering  the  war  cry  of  Santiago. 

188 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

had  made  themselves  secure  within  it,  and 
would  not  let  anyone  come  near  without 
shooting  arrows  at  him,  and  as  we  could  not 
obtain  anything  to  eat  unless  we  captured 
it,  Ms  grace  decided  to  enter  the  city  on  foot 
and  to  surround  it  by  men  on  horseback,  so 
that  the  Indians  who  were  inside  could  not 
get  away.  As  he  was  distinguished  among 
them  all  by  his  gilt  arms  and  a  plume  on 
his  headpiece,  all  the  Indians  aimed  at  him, 
because  he  was  noticeable  among  all,  and 
they  knocked  him  down  to  the  ground  twice 
by  chance  stones  thrown  from  the  flat  roofs, 
and  stunned  him  in  spite  of  his  headpiece, 
and  if  this  had  not  been  so  good,  I  doubt  if 
he  would  have  come  out  alive  from  that  en 
terprise,  and  besides  all  this — praised  be  Our 
Lord  that  he  came  out  on  his  own  feet— 
they  hit  him  many  times  with  stones  on  his 
head  and  shoulders  and  legs,  and  he  received 
two  small  wounds  on  his  face  and  an  arrow 
wound  in  the  right  foot;  but  despite  all  this 
his  grace  is  as  sound  and  well  as  the  day  he 
left  that  city.  And  you1  may  assure  my 
lord  of  all  this,  and  also  that  on  the  19th  of 
July  last  he  went  4  leagues  from  this  city  to 
see  a  rock  where  they  told  him  that  the 
Indians  of  this  province  had  fortified  them 
selves,2  and  he  returned  the  same  day,  so  that 
he  went  8  leagues  in  going  and  returning. 
I  think  I  have  given  you  an  account  of 

1  The  printed  manuscript  is  V.  M.,  which  signifies 
Your  Majesty. 

a  Doubtless  Thunder  mountain. 
189 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

everything,  for  it  is  right  that  I  should  be 
the  authority  for  you  and  his  lordship,  to 
assure  you  that  everything  is  going  well  with 
the  general  my  lord,  and  without  any  hesita 
tion  I  can  assure  you  that  he  is  as  well  and 
sound  as  the  day  he  left  the  city.  He  is 
located  within  the  city,  for  when  the  Indians 
saw  that  his  grace  was  determined  to  enter 
the  city,  then  they  abandoned  it,  since  they 
let  them  go  with  their  lives.  We  found  in 
it  what  we  needed  more  than  gold  and  sil 
ver,  and  that  was  much  corn  and  beans  and 
fowls,  better  than  those  of  New  Spain,  and 
salt,  the  best  and  whitest  that  I  have  seen 
in  all  my  life. 


THIS  is  THE  LATEST  ACCOUNT  OF    CIBOLA, 

AND  OF  MOKE  THAN  FOUR  HUNDRED 

LEAGUES  BEYOND/ 

IT  is  more  than  300  leagues  from  Culia- 
can  to  Cibola,  uninhabited  most  of  the  way. 
There  are  very  few  people  there ;  the  coun 
try  is  sterile ;  the  roads  are  very  bad.  The 
people  go  around  entirely  naked,  except  the 
women,  who  wear  white  tanned  deer  skins 
from  the  waist  down,  something  like  little 
skirts,  reaching  to  the  feet.  Their  houses 

1  From  a  manuscript,  in  the  possession  of  the  fam 
ily  of  the  late  Sr.  D.  Joaquin  Garcia  Icazbalceta,  of 
the  City  of  Mexico.  This  appears  to  be  a  transcript 
from  letters  written,  probably  at  Tiguex,  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  during  the  late  summer  or  early  fall  of 
1541. 

190 


THE  JOURNEY    OF  CORONADO. 

are  of  mats  made  of  reeds;  the  houses  are 
round  and  small,  so  that  there  is  hardly  room 
inside  for  a  man  on  his  feet.  The  country 
is  sandy  where  they  live  near  together  and 
where  they  plant.  They  raise  corn,  but  not 
very  much,  and  beans  and  melons,  and  they 
also  live  on  game — rabbits,  hares,  and  deer. 
They  do  not  have  sacrifices.  This  is  between 
Culiacan  and  Cibola. 

Cibola  is  a  village  of  about  200  houses. 
They  have  two  and  three  and  four  and  five 
stories.  The  walls  are  about  a  handbreadth 
thick;  the  sticks  of  timber  are  as  large  as 
the  wrist,  and  round;  for  boards,  they  have 
very  small  bushes,  with  their  leaves  on, 
covered  with  a  sort  of  greenish-colored  mud ; 
the  walls  are  of  dirt  and  mud,  the  doors  of 
the  houses  are  like  the  hatchways  of  ships. 
The  houses  are  close  together,  each  joined 
to  the  others.  Outside  of  the  houses  they 
have  some  hot-houses  (or  estufas)  of  dirt 
mud,  where  they  take  refuge  from  the  cold 
in  the  winter — because  this  is  very  great, 
since  it  snows  six  months  in  the  year. 

Some  of  these  people  wear  cloaks  of  cotton 
and  of  the  maguey  (or  Mexican  aloe)  and  of 
tanned  deer  skin,  and  they  wear  shoes  made 
of  these  skins,  reaching  up  to  the  knees. 
They  also  make  cloaks  of  the  skins  of  hares 
and  rabbits,  with  which  they  cover  them 
selves.  The  women  wear  cloaks  of  the 
maguey,  reaching  down  to  the  feet,  with 
girdles ;  they  wear  their  hair  gathered  about 
the  ears  like  little  wheels.  They  raise  corn 
191 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO. 

and  beans  and  melons,  which  is  all  they 
need  to  live  on,  because  it  is  a  small  tribe. 
The  land  where  they  plant  is  entirely  sandy ; 
the  water  is  brackish ;  the  country  is  very 
dry.  They  have  some  fowls,  although  not 
many.  They  do  not  know  what  sort  of  a 
thing  fish  is.  There  are  seven  villages  in 
this  province  of  Cibola  within  a  space  of  5 
leagues;  the  largest  may  have  about  200 
houses  and  two  others  about  200,  and  the 
others  somewhere  between  60  or  50  and  30 
houses. 

It  is  60  leagues  from  Cibola  to  the  river 
and  province  of  Tibex  [Tiguex].  The  first 
village  is  40  leagues  from  Cibola,  and  is 
called  Acuco.  This  village  is  on  top  of  a 
very  strong  rock;  it  has  about  200  houses, 
built  in  the  same  way  as  at  Cibola,  where 
they  speak  another  language.  It  is  20 
leagues  from  here  to  the  river  of  Tiguex. 
The  river  is  almost  as  wide  as  that  of 
Seville,  although  not  so  deep;  it  flows 
through  a  level  country ;  the  water  is  good ; 
it  contains  some  fish;  it  rises  in  the  north. 
He  who  relates  this,  saw  twelve  villages 
within  a  certain  distance  of  the  river ;  others 
saw  more,  they  say,  up  the  river.  Below, 
all  the  villages  are  small,  except  two  that 
have  about  200  houses.  The  walls  of  these 
houses  are  something  like  mud  walls  of  dirt 
and  sand,  very  rough;  they  are  as  thick  as 
the  breadth  of  a  hand.  The  houses  have 
two  and  three  stories;  the  construction  is 
like  those  at  Cibola.  The  country  is  very 
192 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

cold.  They  have  hot-houses,  as  in  Cibola, 
and  the  river  freezes  so  thick  that  loaded 
animals  cross  it,  and  it  would  be  possible  for 
carts  to  do  so.  They  raise  as  much  corn  as 
they  need,  and  beans  and  melons.  They 
have  some  fowls,  which  they  keep  so  as  to 
make  cloaks  of  their  feathers.  They  raise 
cotton,  although  not  much ;  they  wear  cloaks 
made  of  this,  and  shoes  of  hide,  as  at  Cibola. 
These  people  defend  themselves  very  well, 
and  from  within  their  houses,  since  they  do 
not  care  to  come  out.  The  country  is  all 
sandy. 

Four  days'  journey  from  the  province  and 
river  of  Tiguex  four  villages  are  found.  The 
first  has  30  houses;  the  second  is  a  large 
village  destroyed  in  their  wars,  and  has  about 
35  houses  occupied ;  the  third  about 
These  three  are  like  those  at  the  river  in 
every  way.  The  fourth  is  a  large  village 
which  is  among  some  mountains.  It  is 
called  Cicuic,  and  has  about  50  houses,  with 
as  many  stories  as  those  at  Cibola.  The 
walls  are  of  dirt  and  mud  like  those  at 
Cibola.  It  has  plenty  of  corn,  beans  and 
melons,  and  some  fowls.  Four  days  from 
this  village  they  came  to  a  country  as  level 
as  the  sea,  and  in  these  plains  there  was 
such  a  multitude  of  cows  that  they  are  num 
berless.  These  cows  are  like  those  of  Castile, 
and  somewhat  larger,  as  they  have  a  little 
hump  on  the  withers,  and  they  are  more 
reddish,  approaching  black ;  their  hair,  more 
than  a  span  long,  hangs  down  around  their 
193 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

horus  and  ears  and  chin,  and  along  the  neck 
and  shoulders  like  inanes,  and  down  from 
the  knees;  all  the  rest  is  a  very  fine  wool, 
like  merino;  they  have  very  good,  tender 
meat,  and  much  fat. 

Having  proceeded  many  days  through 
these  plains,  they  came  to  a  settlement  of 
about  200  inhabited  houses.  The  houses 
were  made  of  the  skins  of  the  cows,  tanned 
white,  like  pavilions  or  army  tents.  The 
maintenance  or  sustenance  of  these  Indians 
comes  entirely  from  the  cows,  because  they 
neither  sow  nor  reap  corn.  With  the  skins 
they  make  their  houses,  with  the  skins  they 
clothe  and  shoe  themselves,  of  the  skins  they 
make  rope,  and  also  of  the  wool ;  from  the 
sinews  they  make  thread,  with  which  they 
sew  their  clothes  and  also  their  houses ;  from 
the  bones  they  make  awls ;  the  dung  serves 
them  for  wood,  because  there  is  nothing  else 
in  that  country;  the  stomachs  serve  them 
for  pitchers  and  vessels  from  which  they 
drink;  they  live  on  the  flesh;  they  some 
times  eat  it  half  roasted  and  warmed  over  the 
dung,  at  other  times  raw;  seizing  it  with 
their  fingers,  they  pull  it  out  with  one  hand 
and  with  a  flint  knife  in  the  other  they  cut 
off  mouthfuls,  and  thus  swallow  it  half 
chewed ;  they  eat  the  fat  raw,  without  warm 
ing  it ;  they  drink  the  blood  just  as  it  leaves 
the  cows,  and  at  other  times  after  it  has  run 
out,  cold  and  raw ;  they  have  no  other  means 
of  livelihood. 

These  people  have  dogs  like  those  in  this 
194 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

country,  except  that  they  are  somewhat 
larger,  and  they  load  these  clogs  like  beasts 
of  burden,  and  make  saddles  for  them  like 
our  pack  saddles,  and  they  fasten  them  with 
their  leather  thongs,  and  these  make  their 
backs  sore  on  the  withers  like  pack  animals. 
When  they  go  hunting,  they  load  these  with 
their  necessities,  and  when  they  move — for 
these  Indians  are  not  settled  in  one  place, 
since  they  travel  wherever  the  cows  move, 
to  support  themselves — these  dogs  carry 
their  houses,  and  they  have  the  sticks  of 
their  houses  dragging  along  tied  on  to  the 
pack-saddles,  besides  the  load  which  they 
carry  on  top,  and  the  load  may  be,  according 
to  the  dog,  from  35  to  50  pounds.  It  is  30 
leagues,  or  even  more,  from  Cibola  to  these 
plains  where  they  went.  The  plains  stretch 
away  beyond,  nobody  knows  how  far.  The 
captain,  Francisco  Vazquez,  went  farther 
across  the  plains,  with  30  horsemen,  and 
Friar  Juan  de  Padilla  with  him ;  all  the  rest 
of  the  force  returned  to  the  settlement  at  the 
river  to  wait  for  Francisco  Vazquez,  because 
this  was  his  command.  It  is  not  known 
whether  he  has  returned. 

The  country  is  so  level  that  men  became 
lost  when  they  went  off  half  a  league.  One 
horseman  was  lost,  who  never  reappeared, 
and  two  horses,  all  saddled  and  bridled, 
which  they  never  saw  again.  No  track  was 
left  of  where  they  went,  and  on  this  account 
it  was  necessary  to  mark  the  road  by  which 
they  went  with  cow  dung,  so  as  to  return, 
195 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

since  there  were  no  stones  or  anything 
else. 

Marco  Polo,  the  Venetian,  in  his  treatise, 
in  chapter  15,  relates  and  says  that  (he  saw) 
the  same  cows,  with  the  same  sort  of  hump ; 
and  in  the  same  chapter  he  says  that  there 
are  sheep  as  big  as  horses. 

Nicholas,  the  Venetian,  gave  an  account 
to  Micer  Pogio,  the  Florentine,  in  his  second 
book,  toward  the  end,  which  says  that  in 
Ethiopia  there  are  oxen  with  a  hump,  like 
camels,  and  they  have  horns  3  cubits  long, 
and  they  carry  their  horns  up  over  their 
backs,  and  one  of  these  horns  makes  a  wine 
pitcher. 

Marco  Polo,  in  chapter  134,  says  that  in 
the  country  of  the  Tartars,  toward  the  north, 
they  have  dogs  as  large  or  little  smaller  than 
asses.  They  harness  these  into  a  sort  of 
cart  and  with  these  enter  a  very  miry  coun 
try,  all  a  quagmire,  where  other  animals  can 
not  enter  and  come  out  without  getting 
submerged,  and  on  this  account  they  take 
dogs. 


196 


TEANSLATION    OF    THE    KELACION 

DEL   SUCESO1 

ACCOUNT  OF  WHAT  HAPPENED  ON  THE 
JOURNEY  WHICH  FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ 
MADE  TO  DISCOVER  CIBOLA. 

WHEN  the  army  reached  the  valley  of 
Culiacan,  Francisco  Vazquez  divided  the 
army  on  account  of  the  bad  news  which  was 
received  regarding  Cibola,  and  because  the 
food  supply  along  the  way  was  small,  accord 
ing  to  the  report  of  Melchor  Diaz,  who  had 
just  come  back  from  seeing  it.  He  himself 
took  80  horsemen  and  25  foot  soldiers,  and 
a  small  part  of  the  artillery,  and  set  out 
from  Culiacan,  leaving  Don  Tristan  de 
Arellano  with  the  rest  of  the  force,  with 
orders  to  set  out  twenty  days  later,  and 
when  he  reached  the  Valley  of  Hearts  (Cora- 
zones)  to  wait  there  for  a  letter  from  him, 
which  would  be  sent  after  he  had  reached 

1  The  Spanish  text  of  this  document  is  printed  in 
Buckingham  Smith's  Florida,  p.  147,  from  a  copy 
made  by  Munoz,  and  also  in  Pacheco  y  Cardenas, 
Documentos  de  Indias,  vol.  xiv.,  p.  318,  from  a  copy 
found  in  the  Archives  of  the  Indies  at  Seville.  No 
date  is  given  in  the  document,  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  it  refers  to  Coronado's  expedition.  In 
the  heading  to  the  document  in  the  Pacheco  y  Car 
denas  Coleccion,  the  date  is  given  as  1531,  and  it  is 
placed  under  that  year  in  the  chronologic  index  of 
the  Coleccion. 

197 


THE  JOURNEY  OP  CORONADO 

Cibola,  and  had  seen  what  was  there;  and 
this  was  done.  The  Valley  of  Hearts  is  150 
leagues  from  the  valley  of  Culiacan,  and  the 
same  distance  from  Cibola. 

This  whole  distance,  up  to  about  50 
leagues  before  reaching  Cibola,  is  inhabited, 
although  it  is  away  from  the  road  in  some 
places.  The  population  is  all  of  the  same 
sort  of  people,  since  the  houses  are  all  of 
palm  mats,  and  some  of  them  have  low  lofts. 
They  all  have  corn,  although  not  much,  and 
in  some  places  very  little.  They  have  melons 
and  beans.  The  best  settlement  of  all  is  a 
valley  called  Senora,  which  is  10  leagues  be 
yond  the  Hearts,  where  a  town  was  afterward 
settled.  There  is  some  cotton  among  these, 
but  deer  skins  are  what  most  of  them  use 
for  clothes. 

Francisco  Vazquez  passed  by  all  these  on 
account  of  the  small  crops.  There  was  no 
corn  the  whole  way,  except  at  this  valley  of 
Senora,  where  they  collected  a  little,  and 
besides  this  he  had  what  he  took  from  Culia 
can,  where  he  provided  himself  for  eighty 
days.  In  seventy-three  days  we  reached 
Cibola,  although  after  hard  labor  and  the 
loss  of  many  horses  and  the  death  of  several 
Indians,  and  after  we  saw  it  these  were  all 
doubled,  although  we  did  find  corn  enough. 
We  found  the  natives  peaceful  for  the  whole 
way. 

The  day  we  reached  the  first  village  part 
of  them  came  out  to  fight  us,  and  the  rest 
stayed  in  the  village  and  fortified  themselves. 
198 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

It  was  not  possible  to  make  peace  with 
these,  although  we  tried  hard  enough,  so  it 
was  necessary  to  attack  them  and  kill  some 
of  them.  The  rest  then  drew  back  to  the 
village,  which  was  then  surrounded  and  at 
tacked.  We  had  to  withdraw,  on  account 
of  the  great  damage  they  did  us  from  the 
flat  roofs,  and  we  began  to  assault  them  from 
a  distance  with  the  artillery  and  muskets, 
and  that  afternoon  they  surrendered.  Fran 
cisco  Vazquez  came  out  of  it  badly  hurt  by 
some  stones,  and  I  am  certain,  indeed,  that 
he  would  have  been  there  yet  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  army-master,  D.  Garcia  Lopez 
de  Cardenas,  who  rescued  him.  When  the 
Indians  surrendered,  they  abandoned  the 
village  and  went  to  the  other  villages,  and 
as  they  left  the  houses  we  made  ourselves  at 
home  in  them. 

Father  Friar  Marcos  understood,  or  gave 
to  understand,  that  the  region  and  neighbor 
hood  in  which  there  are  seven  villages  was 
a  single  village  which  he  called  Cibola,  but 
the  whole  of  this  settled  region  is  called 
Cibola.  The  villages  have  from  150  to  200 
and  300  houses;  some  have  the  houses  of 
the  village  all  together,  although  in  some 
villages  they  are  divided  into  two  or  three 
sections,  but  for  the  most  part  they  are  all 
together,  and  their  courtyards  are  within, 
and  in  these  are  their  hot  rooms  for  winter, 
and  they  have  their  summer  ones  outside  the 
villages.  The  houses  have  two  or  three 
stories,  the  walls  of  stone  and  mud,  and  some 
199 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

have  mud  walls.  The  villages  have  for  the 
most  part  the  walls  of  the  houses ;  the  houses 
are  too  good  for  Indians,  especially  for  these, 
since  they  are  brutish  and  have  no  decency 
in  anything  except  in  their  houses. 

For  food  they  have  much  corn  and  beans 
and  melons,  and  some  fowls,  like  those  of 
Mexico,  and  they  keep  these  more  for  their 
feathers  than  to  eat,  because  they  make  long 
robes  of  them,  since  they  do  not  have  any 
cotton ;  and  they  wear  cloaks  of  heniquen  (a 
fibrous  plant),  and  of  the  skins  of  deer,  and 
sometimes  of  -cows. 

Their  rites  and  sacrifices  are  somewhat 
idolatrous,  but  water  is  what  they  worship 
most,  to  which  they  offer  small  painted  sticks 
and  feathers  and  yellow  powder  made  of 
flowers,  and  usually  this  offering  is  made  to 
springs.  Sometimes,  also,  they  offer  such 
turquoises  as  they  have,  although  poor  ones. 

From  the  valley  of  Culiacan  to  Cibola  it 
is  240  leagues  in  two  directions.  It  is  north 
to  about  the  thirty-fourth-and-a-half  degree, 
and  from  there  to  Cibola,  which  is  nearly 
the  thirty-seventh  degree,  toward  the  north 
east. 

Having  talked  with  the  natives  of  Cibola 
about  what  was  beyond,  they  said  that  there 
were  settlements  toward  the  west.  Fran 
cisco  Vazquez  then  sent  Don  Pedro  de  Tobar 
to  investigate,  who  found  seven  other  vil 
lages,  which  were  called  the  province  of 
Tuzan ;  this  is  35  leagues  to  the  west.  The 
villages  are  somewhat  larger  than  those  of 
200 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Cibola,  and  in  other  respects,  in  food  and 
everything,  they  are  of  the  same  sort,  except 
that  these  raise  cotton.  While  Don  Pedro 
de  Tobar  had  gone  to  see  these,  Francisco 
Vazquez  dispatched  messengers  to  the  vice 
roy,  with  an  account  of  what  had  happened 
up  to  this  point.1  He  also  prepared  instruc 
tions  for  these  to  take  to  Don  Tristan,  who 
as  I  have  said,  was  at  Hearts,  for  him  to 
proceed  to  Cibola,  and  to  leave  a  town  estab 
lished  in  the  valley  of  Senora,  which  he  did, 
and  in  it  he  left  80  horsemen  of  the  men 
who  had  but  one  horse  and  the  weakest  men, 
and  Melchor  Diaz  with  them  as  captain  and 
leader,  because  Francisco  Vazquez  had  so 
arranged  for  it.  He  ordered  him  to  go  from 
there  with  half  the  force  to  explore  toward 
the  west;  and  he  did  so,  and  traveled  150 
leagues,  to  the  river  which  Hernando  de 
Alarcon  entered  from  the  sea,  which  he 
called  the  Buenaguia.  The  settlements  and 
people  that  are  in  this  direction  are  mostly 
like  those  at  the  Hearts,  except  at  the  river 
and  around  it,  where  the  people  have  much 
better  figures  and  have  more  corn,  although 
the  houses  in  which  they  live  are  hovels, 
like  pig  pens,  almost  under  ground,  with  a 
covering  of  straw,  and  made  without  any 
skill  whatever.  This  river  is  reported  to  be 
large.  They  reached  it  30  leagues  from  the 
coast,  where,  and  as  far  again  above,  Alarcon 
had  come  up  with  his  boats  two  months  be- 

1  See  the  letter  of  August  3,  1540. 
201 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

fore  they  reached  it.  This  river  runs  north 
and  south  there.  Melchor  Diaz  passed  on 
toward  the  west  five  or  six  days,  from  which 
he  returned  for  the  reason  that  he  did  not 
find  any  water  or  vegetation,  but  only  many 
stretches  of  sand ;  and  he  had  some  fighting 
on  his  return  to  the  river  and  its  vicinity, 
because  they  wanted  to  take  advantage  of 
him  while  crossing  the  river.  While  return 
ing  Melchor  Diaz  died  from  an  accident,  by 
which  he  killed  himself,  throwing  a  lance  at 
a  dog. 

After  Don  Pedro  de  Tobar  returned  and 
had  given  an  account  of  those  villages,  he 
then  dispatched  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Car 
denas,  the  army-master,  by  the  same  road 
Don  Pedro  had  followed,  to  go  beyond  that 
province  of  Tuzan  to  the  west,  and  he  allowed 
him  eighty  days  in  which  to  go  and  return, 
for  the  journey  and  to  make  the  discoveries. 
He  was  conducted  beyond  Tuzan  by  native 
guides,  who  said  there  were  settlements  be 
yond,  although  at  a  distance.  Having  gone 
50  leagues  west  of  Tuzan,  and  80  from 
Cibola,  he  found  the  edge  of  a  river  down 
which  it  was  impossible  to  find  a  path  for  a 
horse  in  any  direction,  or  even  for  a  man  on 
foot,  except  in  one  very  difficult  place,  where 
there  was  a  descent  for  almost  2  leagues. 
The  sides  were  such  a  steep  rocky  precipice 
that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  see  the  river, 
which  looks  like  a  brook  from  above,  although 
it  is  half  as  large  again  as  that  of  Seville,  ac 
cording  to  what  they  say,  so  that  although 
202 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

they  sought  for  a  passage  with  great  dili 
gence,  none  was  found  for  a  long  distance, 
during  which  they  were  for  several  days  in 
great  need  of  water,  which  could  not  be 
found,  and  they  could  not  approach  that  of 
the  river,  although  they  could  see  it,  and  on 
this  account  Don  Garcia  Lopez  was  forced  to 
return.  This  river  comes  from  the  north 
east  and  turns  toward  the  south-southwest 
at  the  place  where  they  found  it,  so  that  it 
is  without  any  doubt  the  one  that  Melchor 
Diaz  reached. 

Four  days  after  Francisco  Vazquez  had 
dispatched  Don  Garcia  Lopez  to  make  this 
discovery,  he  dispatched  Hernando  de  Al- 
varado  to  explore  the  route  toward  the  east. 
He  started  off,  and  30  leagues  from  Cibola 
found  a  rock  with  a  village  on  top,  the 
strongest  position  that  ever  was  seen  in  the 
world,  which  was  called  Acuco  l  in  their  lan 
guage,  and  father  Friar  Marcos  called  it  the 
kingdom  of  Hacus.  They  came  out  to  meet 
us  peacefully,  although  it  would  have  been 
easy  to  decline  to  do  this  and  to  have  stayed 
on  their  rock,  where  we  would  not  have 
been  able  to  trouble  them.  They  gave  us 
cloaks  of  cotton,  skins  of  deer  and  of  cows, 
and  turquoises,  and  fowls  and  other  food 


1  The  Acoma  people  call  their  pueblo  Ako,  while 
the  name  for  themselves  is  Akome",  signifying  "  peo 
ple  of  the  white  rock."  The  Zuni  name  of  Acoma, 
as  previously  stated,  is  Hakukia;  of  the  Acoma 
people,  Haku-kwe.  Hacus  was  applied  by  Niza  to 
Hawikuh,  not  to  Acoma— Hodge. 
203 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

which  they  had,  which  is  the  same  as  in 
Cibola. 

Twenty  leagues  to  the  east  of  this  rock  we 
found  a  river  which  runs  north  and  south,1 
well  settled;  there  are  in  all,  small  and 
large,  70  villages  near  it,  a  few  more  or  less, 
the  same  sort  as  those  at  Cibola,  except  that 
they  are  almost  all  of  well-made  mud  walls. 
The  food  is  neither  more  nor  less.  They 
raise  cotton — I  mean  those  who  live  near  the 
river — the  others  not.  There  is  much  corn 
here.  These  people  do  not  have  markets. 
They  are  settled  for  50  leagues  along  this 
river,  north  and  south,  and  some  villages  are 
15  or  20  leagues  distant,  in  one  direction 
and  the  other.  This  river  rises  where  these 
settlements  end  at  the  north,  on  the  slope  of 
the  mountains  there,  where  there  is  a  larger 
village  different  from  the  others,  called  Yu- 
raba.2  It  is  settled  in  this  fashion :  It  has 
18  divisions;  each  one  has  a  situation  as  if 
for  two  ground  plots;  the  houses  are  very 
close  together,  and  have  five  or  six  stories, 
three  of  them  with  mud  walls  and  two  or 
three  with  thin  wooden  walls,  which  become 
smaller  as  they  go  up,  and  each  one  has  its 
little  balcony  outside  of  the  mud  walls,  one 
above  the  other,  all  around,  of  wood.  In 
this  village,  as  it  is  in  the  mountains,  they 
do  not  raise  cotton  nor  breed  fowls;  they 

1  The  Rio  Grande. 

2  Evidently  Taos,  the  native  name  of    which  is 
Tuata,  the  Picuris  name  being  Tuopa,  according  to 
Hodge. 

204 


THE  JOURNEY.  OF  CORONADO 

wear  the  skins  of  deer  and  cows  entirely. 
It  is  the  most  populous  village  of  all  that 
country;  we  estimated  there  were  15,000 
souls  in  it.  There  is  one  of  the  other  kind 
of  villages  larger  than  all  the  rest,  and  very 
strong,  which  is  called  Cicuique.1  It  has 
four  and  live  stories,  has  eight  large  court 
yards,  each  one  with  its  balcony,  and  there 
are  fine  houses  in  it. 

They  do  not  raise  cotton  nor  keep  fowls, 
because  it  is  15  leagues  away  from  the  river 
to  the  east,  toward  the  plains  where  the 
cows  are.  After  Alvarado  had  sent  an  ac 
count  of  this  river  to  Francisco  Vazquez,  he 
proceeded  forward  to  these  plains,  and  at  the 
borders  of  these  he  found  a  little  river  which 
flows  to  the  southwest,  and  after  four  days' 
inarch  he  found  the  cows,  which  are  the 
most  monstrous  thing  in  the  way  of  animals 
which  has  ever  been  seen  or  read  about. 
lie  followed  this  river  for  100  leagues,  find 
ing  more  cows  every  day.  We  provided 
ourselves  with  some  of  these,  although  at 
first,  until  we  had  had  experience,  at  the 
risk  of  the  horses.  There  is  such  a  quantity 
of  them  that  I  do  not  know  what  to  compare 
them  with,  except  with  the  fish  in  the  sea, 
because  on  this  journey,  as  also  on  that 
which  the  whole  army  afterward  made  when 
it  was  going  to  Quivira,  there  were  so  many 
that  many  times  when  we  started  to  pass 
through  the  midst  of  them  and  wanted  to  go 

1  Identical  with  Castaneda's  Cicuyc  or  Cicuye — 
the  pueblo  of  Pecos. 

205 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

through  to  the  other  side  of  them,  we  were 
not  able  to,  because  the  country  was  covered 
with  them.  The  flesh  of  these  is  as  good  as 
that  of  Castile,  and  some  said  it  was  even 
better. 

The  bulls  are  large  and  brave,  although 
they  do  not  attack  very  much;  but  they 
have  wicked  horns,  and  in  a  fight  use  them 
well,  attacking  fiercely ;  they  killed  several 
of  our  horses  and  wounded  many.  We 
found  the  pike  to  be  the  best  weapon  to  use 
against  them,  and  the  musket  for  use  when 
this  misses. 

When  Hernando  de  Alvarado  returned 
from  these  plains  to  the  river  which  was 
called  Tiguex,  he  found  the  army -master 
Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  getting  ready 
for  the  whole  army,  which  was  coming  there. 
When  it  arrived,  although  all  these  people 
had  met  Hernaudo  de  Alvarado  peacefully, 
part  of  them  rebelled  when  all  the  force  came. 
There  were  12  villages  near  together,  and 
one  night  they  killed  40  of  our  horses  and 
mules  which  were  loose  in  the  camp.  They 
fortified  themselves  in  their  villages,  and 
war  was  then  declared  against  them.  Don 
Garcia  Lopez  went  to  the  first  and  took  it 
and  executed  justice  on  many  of  them. 
Wrhen  the  rest  saw  this,  they  abandoned  all 
except  two  of  the  villages,  one  of  these  the 
strongest  one  of  all,  around  which  the  army 
was  kept  for  two  months.  And  although 
after  we  invested  it,  we  entered  it  one  day 
and  occupied  a  part  of  the  flat  roof,  we  were 
206 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

forced  to  abandon  this  on  account  of  the 
many  wounds  that  were  received  and  because 
it  was  so  dangerous  to  maintain  ourselves 
there,  and  although  we  again  entered  it  soon 
afterward,  in  the  end  it  was  not  possible  to 
get  it  all,  and  so  it  was  surrounded  all  this 
time.  We  finally  captured  it  because  of 
their  thirst,  and  they  held  out  so  long  be 
cause  it  snowed  twice  when  they  were  just 
about  to  give  themselves  up.  In  the  end 
we  captured  it,  and  many  of  them  were 
killed  because  they  tried  to  get  away  at 
night. 

Francisco  Vazquez  obtained  an  account 
from  some  Indians  who  were  found  in  this 
village  of  Cicuique,  which,  if  it  had  been 
true,  was  of  the  richest  thing  that  has  been 
found  in  the  Indies.  The  Indian  who  gave 
the  news  and  the  account  came  from  a  vil 
lage  called  Harale,  300  leagues  east  of  this 
river.  He  gave  such  a  clear  account  of  what 
he  told,  as  if  it  was  true  and  he  had  seen  it, 
that  it  seemed  plain  afterward  that  it  was 
the  devil  who  was  speaking  in  him.  Fran 
cisco  Vazquez  and  all  of  us  placed  much 
confidence  in  him,  although  he  was  advised 
by  several  gentlemen  not  to  move  the  whole 
army,  but  rather  to  send  a  captain  to  find 
out  what  was  there.  He  did  not  wish  to  do 
this,  but  wanted  to  take  every  one,  and  even 
to  send  Don  Pedro  de  Tobar  to  the  Hearts 
for  half  the  men  who  were  in  that  village. 
So  he  started  with  the  whole  army,  and  pro 
ceeded  150  leagues,  100  to  the  east  and  50 
207 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

to  the  south,1  and  the  Indian  failing  to 
make  good  what  he  had  said  about  there 
being  a  settlement  there,  and  corn,  with 
which  to  proceed  farther,  the  other  two 
guides  were  asked  how  that  was,  and  one 
confessed  that  what  the  Indian  said  was  a 
lie,  except  that  there  was  a  province  which 
was  called  Quivira,  and  that  there  was  com 
and  houses  of  straw  there,  but  that  they  were 
very  far  off,  because  we  had  been  led  astray 
a  distance  from  the  road.  Considering  this, 
and  the  small  supply  of  food  that  was  left, 
Francisco  Vazquez,  after  consulting  with  the 
captains,  determined  to  proceed  with  30  of 
the  best  men  who  were  well  equipped,  and 
that  the  army  should  return  to  the  river; 
and  this  was  done  at  once.  Two  days  before 
this,  Don  Garcia  Lopez'  horse  had  happened 
to  fall  with  him,  and  he  threw  his  arm  out 
of  joint,  from  which  he  suffered  much,  and 
so  Don  Tristan  de  Arellano  returned  to  the 
river  with  the  army.  On  this  journey  they 
had  a  very  hard  time,  because  almost  all  of 
them  had  nothing  to  eat  except  meat,  and 
many  suffered  on  this  account.  They  killed 
a  world  of  bulls  and  cows,  for  there  were 
days  when  they  brought  60  and  70  head 
into  camp,  and  it  was  necessary  to  go  hunt 
ing  every  day,  and  on  this  account,  and  from 
not  eating  any  corn  during  all  this  time,  the 
horses  suffered  much. 

Francisco  Vazquez   set    out  across  these 

1  Southeast,  in  Buckingham  Smith's  Munoz  copy. 
208 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

plains  in  search  of  Quivira,  more  on  account 
of  the  story  which  had  been  told  us  at  the 
river  than  from  the  confidence  which  was 
placed  in  the  guide  here,  and  after  proceed 
ing  many  days  by  the  needle  (i.  e.,  to  the 
north)  it  pleased  God  that  after  thirty  days' 
march  we  found  the  river  Quivira,  which  is 
30  leagues  below  the  settlement.  While 
going  up  the  valley,  we  found  people  who 
were  going  hunting,  who  were  natives  of 
Quivira. 

All  that  there  is  at  Quivira  is  a  very 
brutish  people,  without  any  decency  what 
ever  in  their  houses  nor  in  any  thing.  These 
are  of  straw,  like  the  Tarascan  settlements; 
in  some  villages  there  are  as  many  as  200 
houses;  they  have  corn  and  beans  and 
melons ;  they  do  not  have  cotton  nor  fowls, 
nor  do  they  make  bread  which  is  cooked, 
except  under  the  ashes.  Francisco  Vazquez 
went  25  leagues  through  these  settlements, 
to  where  he  obtained  an  account  of  what  was 
beyond,  and  they  said  that  the  plains  come 
to  an  end,  and  that  down  the  river  there  are 
people  who  do  not  plant,  but  live  wholly  by 
hunting. 

They  also  gave  an  account  of  two  other 
large  villages,  one  of  which  was  called 
Tareque '  and  the  other  Arae,  with  straw 
houses  at  Tareque,  and  at  Arae  some  of 
straw  and  some  of  skins.  Copper  was  found 
here,  and  they  said  it  came  from  a  distance. 

1  Tuxeque,  in  the  Mufioz  copy. 
209 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

From  what  the  Indian  had  said,  it  is  possi 
ble  that  this  village  of  Arae  contains  more,1 
from  the  clear  description  of  it  which  he 
gave.  We  did  not  find  any  trace  or  news  of 
it  here.  Francisco  Vazquez  returned  from 
here  to  the  river  of  Tiguex,  where  he  found 
the  army.  We  went  back  by  a  more  direct 
route,  because  in  going  by  the  way  we  went 
we  traveled  330  leagues,  and  it  is  not  more 
than  200  by  that  by  which  we  returned. 
Quivira  is  in  the  fortieth  degree  and  the  river 
in  the  thirty-sixth.  It  was  so  dangerous  to 
travel  or  to  go  away  from  the  camp  in  these 
plains,  that  it  is  as  if  one  was  traveling  on 
the  sea,  since  the  only  roads  are  those  of  the 
cows,  and  they  are  so  level  and  have  no 
mountain  or  prominent  landmark,  that  if 
one  went  out  of  sight  of  it,  he  was  lost,  and 
in  this  way  we  lost  one  man,  and  others  who 
went  hunting  wandered  around  two  or  three 
days,  lost. 

Two  kinds  of  people  travel  around  these 
plains  with  the  cows;  one  is  called  Quere- 
chos  and  the  others  Teyas;  they  are  very 
well  built,  and  painted,  and  are  enemies  of 
each  other.  They  have  no  other  settlement 
or  location  than  comes  from  traveling  around 
witli  the  cows.  They  kill  all  of  these  they 
wish,  and  tan  the  hides,  with  which  they 
clothe  themselves  and  make  their  tents,  and 
they  eat  the  flesh,  sometimes  even  raw,  and 
they  also  even  drink  the  blood  when  thirsty. 
The  tents  they  make  are  like  field  tents,  and 
1  Or  mines,  as  Munoz  guesses. 
210 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

they  set  them  up  over  some  poles  they  have 
made  for  this  purpose,  which  come  together 
and  are  tied  at  the  top,  and  when  they  go 
from  one  place  to  another  they  carry  them 
on  some  dogs  they  have,  of  which  they  have 
many,  and  they  load  them  with  the  tents 
and  poles  and  other  things,  for  the  country 
is  so  level,  as  I  said,  that  they  can  make  use 
of  these,  because  they  carry  the  poles  drag 
ging  along  on  the  ground.  The  sun  is  what 
they  worship  most.  The  skin  for  the  tents 
is  cured  on  both  sides,  without  the  hair,  and 
they  have  the  skins  of  deer  and  cows  left 
over.1  They  exchange  some  cloaks  with  the 
natives  of  the  river  for  corn. 

After  Francisco  Vazquez  reached  the  river, 
where  he  found  the  army,  Don  Pedro  de 
Tobar  came  with  half  the  people  from  the 
Hearts,  and  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas 
started  off  for  Mexico,  who,  besides  the  fact 
that  his  arm  was  very  bad,  had  permission 
from  the  viceroy  on  account  of  the  death  of 
his  brother.  Ten  or  twelve  who  were  sick 
went  with  him,  and  not  a  man  among  them 
all  who  could  fight.  He  reached  the  town 
of  the  Spaniards  and  found  it  burned  and 
two  Spaniards  and  many  Indians  and  horses 
dead,  and  he  returned  to  the  river  on  this 
account,  escaping  from  them  by  good  fortune 
and  great  exertions.  The  cause  of  this  mis 
fortune  was  that  after  Don  Pedro  started  and 
left  40  men  there,  half  of  these  raised  a  mu- 

1  And  jerked  beef  dried  in  the  sun,  in  the  Munoz 
copy  only. 

211 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

tiny  and  fled,  and  the  Indians,  who  remem 
bered  the  bad  treatment  they  had  received } 
attacked  them  one  night  and  overpowered 
them  because  of  their  carelessness  and  weak 
ness,  and  they  fled  to  Culiacan.  Francisco 
Vazquez  fell  while  running  a  horse  about 
this  time  and  was  sick  a  long  time,  and  after 
the  winter  was  over  he  determined  to  come 
back,  and  although  they  may  say  something 
different,  he  did  so,  because  he  wanted  to  do 
this  more  than  anything,  arid  so  we  all  came 
together  as  far  as  Culiacan,  and  each  one 
went  where  he  pleased  from  there,  and  Fran 
cisco-  Vazquez  came  here  to  Mexico  to  make 
his  report  to  the  viceroy,  who  was  not  at  all 
pleased  with  his  coming,  although  he  pre 
tended  so  at  first.  He  was  pleased  that 
Father  Friar  Juan  de  Padilla  had  stayed 
there,  who  went  to  Quivira,  and  a  Spaniard 
and  a  negro  with  him,  and  Friar  Luis,  a 
very  holy  ky  brother,  stayed  in  Cicuique. 
We  spent  two  very  cold  winters  at  this  river, 
with  much  snow  and  thick  ice.  The  river 
froze  one  night  and  remained  so  for  more 
than  a  month,  so  that  loaded  horses  crossed 
on  the  ice.  The  reason  these  villages  are 
settled  in  this  fashion  is  supposed  to  be  the 
great  cold,  although  it  is  also  partly  the  wars 
which  they  have  with  one  another.  And 
this  is  all  that  was  seen  and  found  out  about 
all  that  country,  which  is  very  barren  of 
fruits  and  groves.  Quivira  is  a  better  coun 
try,  having  many  huts  and  not  being  so  cold, 
although  it  is  more  to  the.  north. 
212 


TRANSLATION  OF  A  LETTER  FROM 
CORONADO  TO  THE  KING,  OCTO 
BER  20,  1541 1 

LETTERS  FROM  FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ  CORO 
NADO  TO  His  MAJESTY,  IN  WHICH  HE 
GIVES  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  DISCOVERY 
OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF  TIGUEX. 

HOLY  CATHOLIC  C.ESARIAN  MAJESTY  :  On 
April  20  of  this  year  I  wrote  to  Your  Maj 
esty  from  this  province  of  Tiguex,  in  reply 
to  a  letter  from  Your  Majesty  dated  in  Ma 
drid,  June  11  a  year  ago.  I  gave  a  detailed 
account  of  this  expedition,  which  the  vice 
roy  of  New  Spain  ordered  me  to  undertake 
in  Your  Majesty's  name  to  this  country 
which  was  discovered  by  Friar  Marcos  of 
Nice,  the  provincial  of  the  order  of  Holy 
Saint  Francis.  I  described  it  all,  and  the 
sort  of  force  I  have,  as  Your  Majesty  had 
ordered  me  to  relate  in  my  letters;  and 
stated  that/ while  I  was  engaged  in  the  con 
quest  and  pacification  of  the  natives  of  this 
province,  some  Indians  who  were  natives  of 
other  provinces  beyond  these  had  told  me 
that  in  their  country  there  were  much  larger 

1  The  text  of  this  letter  is  printed  in  Pacheco  y 
Cardenas,  Documentos  de  Indias,  vol.  iii,  p.  363, 
from  a  copy  made  by  Munoz,  and  also  in  the  same 
collection,  vol.  xiii,  p.  261,  from  a  copy  in  the 
Archives  of  th«  Indies  at  Seville. 
213 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

villages  and  better  houses  than  those  of  the 
natives  of  this  country,  and  that  they  had 
lords  who  ruled  them,  who  were  served  with 
dishes  of  gold,  and  other  very  magnificent 
things;  and  although,  as  I  wrote  Your  Maj 
esty,  I  did  not  believe  it  before  I  had  set 
eyes  on  it,  because  it  was  the  report  of  In 
dians  and  given  for  the  most  part  by  means 
of  signs,  yet  as  the  report  appeared  to  me  to 
be  very  fine  and  that  it  was  important  that 
it  should  be  investigated  for  Your  Majesty's 
service,  I  determined  to  go  and  see  it  with 
the  men  I  have  here.  I  started  from  this 
province  on  the  23d  of  last  April,  for  the 
place  where  the  Indians  wanted  to  guide  me. 
After  nine  days'  march  I  reached  some 
plains,  so  vast  that  I  did  not  find  their  limit 
anywhere  that  I  went,  although  I  traveled 
over  them  for  more  than  300  leagues.  And 
I  found  such  a  quantity  of  cows  in  these,  of 
the  kind  that  I  wrote  Your  Majesty  about, 
which  they  have  in  this  country,  that  it  is 
impossible  to  number  them,  for  while  I  was 
journeying  through  these  plains,  until  I  re 
turned  to  where  I  first  found  them,  there  was 
not  a  day  that  I  lost  sight  of  them.  And 
after  seventeen  days'  march  I  came  to  a  set 
tlement  of  Indians  who  are  called  Querechos, 
who  travel  around  with  these  cows,  who  do 
not  plant,  and  who  eat  the  raw  flesh  and 
drink  the  blood  of  the  cows  they  kill,  and 
they  tan  the  skins  of  the  cows,  with  which 
all  the  people  of  this  country  dress  them 
selves  here.  They  have  little  field  tents 
214 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

made  of  the  hides  of  the  cows,  tanned  and 
greased,  very  well  made,  in  which  they  live 
while  they  travel  around  near  the  cows, 
moving  with  these.  They  have  dogs  which 
they  load,  which  carry  their  tents  and  poles 
and  belongings.  These  people  have  the  best 
figures  of  any  that  I  have  seen  in  the  Indies. 
They  could  not  give  me  any  account  of  the 
country  where  the  guides  were  taking  me. 
I  traveled  five  days  more  as  the  guides 
wished  to  lead  me,  until  I  reached  some 
plains,  with  no  more  landmarks  than  as  if 
we  had  been  swallowed  up  in  the  sea,  where 
they  strayed  about,  because  there  was  not  a 
stone,  nor  a  bit  of  rising  ground,  nor  a  tree, 
nor  a  shrub,  nor  anything  to  go  by.  There 
is  much  very  fine  pasture  land,  with  good 
grass.  And  while  we  were  lost  in  these 
plains,  some  horsemen  who  went  oft0  to  hunt 
cows  fell  in  with  some  Indians  who  also 
were  out  hunting,  who  are  enemies  of  those 
that  I  had  seen  in  the  last  settlement,  and 
of  another  sort  of  people  who  are  called 
Teyas;  they  have  their  bodies  and  faces 
all  painted,  are  a  large  people  like  the  others, 
of  a  very  good  build ;  they  eat  the  raw  flesh 
just  like  the  Querechos,  and  live  and  travel 
round  with  the  cows  in  the  same  way  as 
these.  I  obtained  from  these  an  account  of 
the  country  where  the  guides  were  taking 
me,  which  was  not  like  what  they  had  told 
me,  because  these  made  out  that  the  houses 
there  were  not  built  of  stones,  with  stories, 
as  my  guides  had  described  it,  but  of  straw 
215 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   CORONADO 

and    skins,    and    a   small    supply    of    corn 
there. 

This  news  troubled  me  greatly,  to  find 
myself  on  these  limitless  plains,  where  I 
was  in  great  need  of  water,  and  often  had  to 
drink  it  so  poor  that  it  was  more  mud  than 
water.  Here  the  guides  confessed  to  me 
that  they  had  not  told  the  truth  in  regard  to 
the  size  of  the  houses,  because  these  were  of 
straw,  but  that  they  had  done  so  regarding 
the  large  number  of  inhabitants  and  the 
other  things  about  their  habits.  The  Teyas 
disagreed  with  this,  and  on  account  of  this 
division  between  some  of  the  Indians  and 
the  others,  and  also  because  many  of  the 
men  I  had  with  me  had  not  eaten  anything 
except  meat  for  some  days,  because  we  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  com  which  we  carried 
from  this  province,  and  because  they  made 
it  out  more  than  forty  days'  journey  from 
where  I  fell  in  with  the  Teyas  to  the  coun 
try  where  the  guides  were  taking  me,  al 
though  I  appreciated  the  trouble  and  danger 
there  would  be  in  the  journey  owing  to  the 
lack  of  water  and  corn,  it  seemed  to  me  best, 
in  order  to  see  if  there  was  anything  there 
of  service  to  Your  Majesty,  to  go  forward 
with  only  30  horsemen  until  I  should  be 
able  to  see  the  country,  so  as  to  give  Your 
Majesty  a  true  account  of  what  was  to  be 
found  in  it.  I  sent  all  the  rest  of  the  force 
I  had  with  me  to  this  province,  with  Don 
Tristan  de  Arellano  in  command,  because  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  prevent  the 
216 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

loss  of  many  men,  if  all  had  gone  on,  owing 
to  the  lack  of  water  and  because  they  also 
had  to  kill  bulls  and  cows  on  which  to  sus 
tain  themselves.  And  with  only  the  30 
horsemen  whom  I  took  for  my  escort,  I  trav 
eled  forty-two  days  after  I  left  the  force, 
living  all  this  while  solely  on  the  flesh  of 
the  bulls  and  cows  which  we  killed,  at  the 
cost  of  several  of  our  horses  which  they 
killed,  because,  as  I  wrote  Your  Majesty, 
they  are  very  brave  and  fierce  animals;  and 
going  many  days  without  water,  and  cook 
ing  the  food  with  cow  dung,  because  there  is 
not  any  kind  of  wood  in  all  these  plains, 
away  from  the  gullies  and  rivers,  which  are 
very  few. 

It  was  the  Lord's  pleasure  that,  after  hav 
ing  journeyed  across  these  deserts  seventy - 
seven  days,  I  arrived  at  the  province  they 
call  Quivira,  to  which  the  guides  were  con 
ducting  me,  and  where  they  had  described  to 
me  houses  of  stone,  with  many  stories;  and 
not  only  are  they  not  of  stone,  but  of  straw, 
but  the  people  in  them  are  as  barbarous  as 
all  those  whom  I  have  seen  and  passed  be 
fore  this ;  they  do  not  have  cloaks,  nor  cot 
ton  of  which  to  make  these,  but  use  the 
skins  of  the  cattle  they  kill,  which  they  tan, 
because  they  are  settled  among  these  on  a 
very  large  river.  They  eat  the  raw  flesh  like 
the  Querechos  and  Teyas;  they  are  enemies 
of  one  another,  but  are  all  of  the  same  sort 
of  people,  and  these  at  Quivira  have  the  ad 
vantage  in  the  houses  they  build  and  in 
217 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

planting  corn.  In  this  province  of  which 
the  guides  who  brought  me  are  natives,  they 
received  me  peaceably,  and  although  they 
told  me  when  I  set  out  for  it  that  I  could 
not  succeed  in  seeing  it  all  in  two  months, 
there  are  not  more  than  25  villages  of  straw 
houses  there  and  in  all  the  rest  of  the  coun 
try  that  I  saw  and  learned  about,  which  gave 
their  obedience  to  Your  Majesty  and  placed 
themselves  under  your  royal  overlordship. 

The  people  here  are  large.  I  had  several 
Indians  measured,  and  found  that  they  were 
10  palms  in  height;  the  women  are  well 
proportioned  and  their  features  are  more  like 
Moorish  women  than  Indians.  The  natives 
here  gave  me  a  piece  of  copper  which  a  chief 
Indian  wore  hung  around  his  neck ;  I  sent  it 
to  the  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  because  I  have 
not  seen  any  other  metal  in  these  parts  ex 
cept  this  and  some  little  copper  bells  which 
I  sent  him,  and  a  bit  of  metal  which  looks 
like  gold.  I  do  not  know  where  this  came 
from,  although  I  believe  that  the  Indians 
who  gave  it  to  me  obtained  it  from  those 
whom  I  brought  here  in  my  service,  because 
I  can  not  find  any  other  origin  for  it  nor 
where  it  came  from.  The  diversity  of  lan 
guages  which  exists  in  this  country  and  my 
not  having  anyone  who  understood  them, 
because  they  speak  their  own  language  in 
each  village,  has  hindered  me,  because  I 
have  been  forced  to  send  captains  and  men 
in  many  directions  to  find  out  whether  there 
was  anything  in  this  country  which  could 
218 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

be  of  service  to  Your  Majesty.  And  although 
I  have  searched  with  all  diligence  I  have  not 
found  or  heard  of  anything,  unless  it  be  these 
provinces,  which  are  a  very  small  affair. 

The  province  of  Quivira  is  950  leagues 
from  Mexico.  Where  I  reached  it,  it  is  in 
the  fortieth  degree.  The  country  itself  is 
the  best  I  have  ever  seen  for  producing 
all  the  products  of  Spain,  for  besides  the 
land  itself  being  very  fat  and  black  and  being 
very  well  watered  by  the  rivulets  and  springs 
and  rivers,  I  found  prunes  like  those  of  Spain 
[or  I  found  everything  they  have  in  Spam] 
and  nuts  and  very  good  sweet  grapes  and 
mulberries.  I  have  treated  the  natives  of 
this  province,  and  all  the  others  whom  I 
found  wherever  I  went,  as  well  as  was  pos 
sible,  agreeably  to  what  Your  Majesty  had 
commanded,  and  they  have  received  no  harm 
in  any  way  from  me  or  from  those  who  went 
in  my  company.1  I  remained  twenty-five 
days  in  this  province  of  Quivira,  so  as  to  see 
and  explore  the  country  and  also  to  find  out 
whether  there  was  anything  beyond  which 
could  be  of  service  to  Your  Majesty,  because 
the  guides  who  had  brought  me  had  given 
me  an  account  of  other  provinces  beyond  this. 
And  what  I  am  sure  of  is  that  there  is  not 
any  gold  nor  any  other  metal  in  all  that 
country,  and  the  other  things  of  which  they 
had  told  me  are  nothing  but  little  villages, 
and  in  many  of  these  they  do  not  plant  any- 

1  Coronado  bad  apparently  forgotten  the  atrocities 
committed  by  the  Spaniards  at  Tiguex. 
219 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

thing  and  do  not  have  any  houses  except  of 
skins  and  sticks,  and  they  wander  around 
with  the  cows;  so  that  the  account  they 
gave  me  was  false,  because  they  wanted  to 
persuade  ine  to  go  there  with  the  whole 
force,  believing  that  as  the  way  was  through 
such  uninhabited  deserts,  and  from  the  lack 
of  water,  they  would  get  us  where  we  and 
our  horses  would  die  of  hunger.  And  the 
guides  confessed  this,  and  said  they  had 
done  it  by  the  advice  and  orders  of  the  na 
tives  of  these  provinces.  At  this,  after  hav 
ing  heard  the  account  of  what  was  beyond, 
which  I  have  given  above,  I  returned  to 
these  provinces  to  provide  for  the  force  I  had 
sent  back  here  and  to  give  Your  Majesty  an 
account  of  what  this  country  amounts  to, 
because  I  wrote  Your  Majesty  that  I  would 
do  so  when  I  went  there. 

I  have  done  all  that  I  possibly  could  to 
serve  Your  Majesty  and  to  discover  a  coun 
try  where  God  Our  Lord  might  be  served 
and  the  royal  patrimony  of  Your  Majesty 
increased,  as  your  loyal  servant  and  vassal. 
For  since  I  reached  the  province  of  Cibola, 
to  which  the  viceroy  of  New  Spain  sent  me 
in  the  name  of  Your  Majesty,  seeing  that 
there  were  none  of  the  things  there  of  which 
Friar  Marcos  had  told,  I  have  managed  to 
explore  this  country  for  200  leagues  and 
more  around  Cibola,  and  the  best  place  I 
have  found  is  this  river  of  Tiguex  where  I 
am  now,  and  the  settlements  here.  It  would 
not  be  possible  to  establish  a  settlement 
220 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

here,  for  besides  being  400  leagues  from  the 
North  sea  and  more  than  200  from  the 
South  sea,  with  which  it  is  impossible  to 
have  any  sort  of  communication,  the  coun 
try  is  so  cold,  as  I  have  written  to  Your 
Majesty,  that  apparently  the  winter  could 
not  possibly  be  spent  here,  because  there  is 
no  wood,  nor  cloth  with  which  to  protect  the 
men,  except  the  skins  which  the  natives 
wear  and  some  small  amount  of  cotton  cloaks. 
T  send  the  viceroy  of  New  Spain  an  account 
of  everything  I  have  seen  in  the  countries 
where  I  have  been,  and  as  Don  Garcia  Lopez 
de  Cardenas  is  going  to  kiss  Your  Majesty's 
hands,  who  has  done  much  and  has  served 
Your  Majesty  very  well  on  this  expedition, 
and  he  will  give  Your  Majesty  an  account 
of  everything  here,  as  one  who  has  seen  it 
himself,  I  give  way  to  him.  And  may  Our 
Lord  protect  the  Holy  Imperial  Catholic 
person  of  Your  Majesty,  with  increase  of 
greater  kingdoms  and  powers,  as  your  loyal 
servants  and  vassals  desire.  From  this 

province  of  Tiguex,  October  20,  in  the  year 
1541.  Your  Majesty's  humble  servant  and 
vassal,  who  would  kiss  the  royal  feet  and 
hands : 

FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ  CORONADO. 


221 


TRANSLATION  OF   THE  NARRATIVE 
OF   JARAMILLO 

ACCOUNT  GIVEN  BY  CAPTAIN  JUAN  JARA 
MILLO  OF  THE  JOURNEY  WHICH  HE  MADE 
TO  THE  NEW  COUNTRY,  ON  WHICH 
FRANCISCO  VAZQUEZ  CORONADO  WAS  THE 

GENERAL.1 

WE  started  from  Mexico,  going  directly 
to  Compostela,  the  whole  way  populated  aud 
at  peace,  the  direction  being  west,  and  the 
distance  112  leagues.  From  there  we  went 
to  Culiacan,  perhaps  about  80  leagues;  the 
road  is  well  known  and  much  used,  because 
there  is  a  town  inhabited  by  Spaniards  in 
the  said  valley  of  Culiacan,  under  the  gov 
ernment  of  Compostela.  The  70  horsemen 
who  went  with  the  general  went  in  a  north  - 
westerly  direction  from  this  town.  He  left 
his  army  here,  because  information  had  been 
obtained  that  the  way  was  uninhabited  and 
almost  the  whole  of  it  without  food.  He 
went  with  the  said  horsemen  to  explore  the 
route  and  prepare  the  way  for  those  who 
were  to  follow.  He  pursued  this  direction, 
though  with  some  twisting,  until  we  crossed 

1  The  text  of  this  narrative  is  found  in  Bucking 
ham  Smith's  Florida,  p.  154,  from  a  copy  made  by 
Munoz,  and  in  Pacheco  y  Cardenas,  Documentos  de 
Indias,  vol.  xiv,  p.  304,  from  the  copy  in  the 
Archives  of  the  Indies. 

222 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

a  mountain  chain,  where  they  knew  about 
New  Spain,  more  than  300  leagues  distant. 
To  this  pass  we  gave  the  name  of  Chichilte 
Calli,  because  we  learned  that  this  was  what 
it  was  called,  from  some  Indians  whom  we 
left  behind. 

Leaving  the  said  valley  of  Culiacan,  he 
crossed  a  river  called  Pateatlan  (or  Peteat- 
lan),  which  was  about  four  days  distant. 
We  found  these  Indians  peaceful,  and  they 
gave  us  some  few  things  to  eat.  From  here 
we  went  to  another  river  called  Cinaloa, 
which  was  about  three  days  from  the  other. 
From  here  the  general  ordered  ten  of  us 
horsemen  to  make  double  marches,  lightly 
equipped,  until  we  reached  the  stream  of  the 
Cedars  (arroyo  de  los  Cedros) ,  and  from  there 
we  were  to  enter  a  break  in  the  mountains 
on  the  right  of  the  road  and  see  what  there 
was  in  and  about  this.  If  more  time  should 
be  needed  for  this  than  we  gained  on  him, 
he  would  wait  for  us  at  the  said  Cedros 
stream.  This  was  done,  and  all  that  we 
saw  there  was  a  few  poor  Indians  in  some 
settled  valleys  like  farms  or  estates,  with 
sterile  soil.  It  was  about  five  more  days 
from  the  river  to  this  stream.  From  there 
we  went  to  the  river  called  Yaquemi,  which 
took  about  three  days.  We  proceeded  along 
a  dry  stream,  and  after  three  days  more  of 
marching,  although  the  dry  stream  lasted 
only  for  a  league,  we  reached  another  stream 
where  there  were  some  settled  Indians,  who 
had  straw  huts  and  storehouses  of  corn  and 
223 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

beans  and  melons.  Leaving  here,  we  went 
to  the  stream  and  village  which  is  called 
Hearts  (Corazones),  the  name  which  was 
given  it  by  Dorantes  and  Cabeza  cle  Vaca 
and  Castillo  and  the  negro  Estebanillo,  be 
cause  they  gave  them  a  present  of  the  hearts 
of  animals  and  birds  to  eat. 

About  two  days  were  spent  in  this  village 
of  the  Hearts.  There  is  an  irrigation  stream, 
and  the  country  is  warm.  Their  dwellings 
are  huts  made  of  a  frame  of  poles,  almost 
like  an  oven,  only  very  much  better,  which 
they  cover  with  mats.  They  have  corn  and 
beans  and  melons  for  food,  which  I  believe 
never  fail  them.  They  dress  in  deerskins. 
This  appeared  to  be  a  good  place,  and  so 
orders  were  given  the  Spaniards  who  were 
behind  to  establish  a  village  here,  where  they 
lived  until  almost  the  failure  of  the  expedi 
tion.  There  was  a  poison  here,  the  effect  of 
which  is,  according  to  what  was  seen  of  it, 
the  worst  that  could  possibly  be  found ;  and 
from  what  we  learned  about  it,  it  is  the 
sap  of  a  small  tree  like  the  rnastick  tree,  or 
lentisk,  and  it  grows  in  gravelly  and  sterile 
land.  We  went  on  from  here,  passing  through 
a  sort  of  gateway,  to  another  valley  very 
near  this  stream,  which  opens  off  from  this 
same  stream,  which  is  called  Senora.  It  is 
also  irrigated,  and  the  Indians  are  like  the 
others  and  have  the  same  sort  of  settlements 
and  food.  This  valley  continues  for  6  or  7 
leagues,  a  little  more  or  less. 

At  first  these  Indians  were  peaceful ;  and 
224 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

afterward  not,  but  instead  they  and  those 
whom  they  were  able  to  summon  thither 
were  our  worst  enemies.  They  have  a  poi 
son  with  which  they  killed  several  Chris 
tians.  There  are  mountains  on  both  sides 
of  them,  which  are  not  very  fertile.  From 
here  we  went  along  near  this  said  stream, 
crossing  it  where  it  makes  a  bend,  to  another 
Indian  settlement  called  Ispa.]  It  takes  one 
day  from  the  last  of  these  others  to  this 
place.  It  is  of  the  same  sort  as  those  we 
had  passed.  From  here  we  went  through 
deserted  country  for  about  four  days  to  an 
other  river,  which  we  heard  called  Nexpa, 
where  some  poor  Indians  came  out  to  see 
the  general,  with  presents  of  little  value, 
with  some  stalks  of  roasted  maguey  and 
pitahayas.  We  went  down  this  stream  two 
days,  and  then  left  the  stream,  going  toward 
the  right  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  chain 
in  two  days'  journey,  where  we  heard  news 
of  what  is  called  Chichiltic  Calli.  Crossing 
the  mountains,  we  came  to  a  deep  and  reedy 
river,  where  we  found  water  and  forage  for 
the  horses.  From  this  river  back  at  Nexpa, 
as  I  have  said,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  direc 
tion  was  nearly  northeast.  From  here,  I 
believe  that  we  went  in  the  same  direction 
for  three  days  to  a  river  which  we  called  Saint 


1  See  Bandelier's  Gilded  Man,  p.  175.  This  is 
Castaneda's  "  Guagarispa  "  as  mistakenly  interpreted 
by  Ternaux-Compans,  the  present  Arispe,  or,  in  the 
Indian  dialect,  Huc-aritz-pa.  The  words  "Ispa, 
que  "  are  not  in  the  Pacheco  y  Cardenas  copy. 
225 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

John  (San  Juan),  because  we  reached  it  on 
his  day.  Leaving  here,  we  went  to  another 
river,  through  a  somewhat  rough  country, 
more  toward  the  north,  to  a  river  which  we 
called  the  Kafts  (de  las  Balsas),  because  we 
had  to  cross  on  these,  as  it  was  rising.  It 
seems  to  me  that  we  spent  two  days  between 
one  river  and  the  other,  and  I  say  this  be 
cause  it  is  so  long  since  we  went  there  that 
I  may  be  wrong  in  some  days,  though  not  in 
the  rest.  From  here  we  went  to  another 
river,  which  we  called  the  Slough  (de  la 
Barranca).  It  is  two  short  days  from  one 
to  the  other,  and  the  direction  almost  north 
east.  From  here  we  went  to  another  river, 
which  we  called  the  Cold  river  (el  rio  Frio), 
on  account  of  its  water  being  so,  in  one 
day's  journey,  and  from  here  we  went  by  a 
pine  mountain,  where  we  found,  almost  at 
the  top  of  it,  a  cool  spring  and  streamlet, 
which  was  another  clay's  march.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  this  stream  a  Spaniard,  who 
was  called  Espinosa,  died,  besides  two  other 
persons,  on  account  of  poisonous  plants 
which  they  ate,  owing  to  the  great  need  in 
which  they  were. 

From  here  we  went  to  another  river,  which 
we  called  the  Eed  river  (Bermejo),  two  days' 
journey  in  the  same  direction,  but  less  to 
ward  the  northeast.  Here  we  saw  an  Indian 
or  two,  who  afterward  appeared  to  belong  to 
the  first  settlement  of  Cibola.  From  here 
we  came  in  two  days'  journey  to  the  said 
village,  the  first  of  Cibola.  The  houses  have 
226 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

flat  roofs  and  walls  of  stone  and  mud,  and 
this  was  where  they  killed  Steve  (Esteba- 
nillo),  the  negro  who  had  come  with  Dorantes 
from  Florida  and  returned  with  Friar  Mar 
cos  de  Niza.  In  this  province  of  Cibola 
there  are  five  little  villages  besides  this,  all 
with  flat  roofs  and  of  stone  and  mud,  as  I 
said.  The  country  is  cold,  as  is  shown  by 
their  houses  and  hothouses  (estufas).  They 
have  food  enough  for  themselves,  of  corn  and 
beans  and  melons.  These  villages  are  about 
a  league  or  more  apart  from  each  other, 
within  a  circuit  of  perhaps  6  leagues.  The 
country  is  somewhat  sandy  and  not  very 
salty  (or  barren  of  vegetation  l ),  and  on  the 
mountains  the  trees  are  for  the  most  part 
evergreen.  The  clothing  of  the  Indians  is 
of  deerskins,  very  carefully  tanned,  and  they 
also  prepare  some  tanned  cowhides,  with 
which  they  cover  themselves,  which  are  like 
shawls,  and  a  great  protection.  They  have 
square  cloaks  of  cotton,  some  larger  than 
others,  about  a  yard  and  a  half  long.  The 
Indians  wear  them  thrown  over  the  shoulder 
like  a  gipsy,  and  fastened  with  one  end  over 
the  other,  with  a  girdle,  also  of  cotton. 
From  this  first  village  of  Cibola,  looking  to 
ward  the  northeast  and  a  little  less,  on  the 
left  hand,  there  is  a  province  called  Tucayan, 
about  five  days  off,  which  has  seven  flat- 
roof  villages,  with  a  food  supply  as  good  as 
or  better  than  these,  and  an  even  larger 

1  Doubtless  the  reference  is  to  the  alkali  soil  and 
vegetation. 

227 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

population ;  and  they  also  have  the  skins  of 
cows  and  of  deer,  and  cloaks  of  cotton,  as  I 
described. 

All  the  waterways  we  found  as  far  as  this 
one  at  Cibola — and  I  do  not  know  but  what 
for  a  day  or  two  beyond — the  rivers  and 
streams  run  into  the  South  sea,  and  those 
from  here  on  into  the  North  sea. 

From  this  first  village  of  Cibola,  as  I  have 
said,  we  went  to  another  in  the  same  prov 
ince,  which  was  about  a  short  day's  journey 
off,  on  the  way  to  Tihuex.  It  is  nine  days, 
of  such  marches  as  we  made,  from  this  set 
tlement  of  Cibola  to  the  river  of  Tihuex. 
Halfway  between,  I  do  not  know  but  it  may 
be  a  day  more  or  less,  there  is  a  village  of 
earth  and  dressed  stone,  in  a  very  strong 
position,  which  is  called  Tutahaco.1  All 
these  Indians,  except  the  first  in  the  first 
village  of  Cibola,  received  us  well.  At  the 
river  of  Tihuex  there  are  15  villages  within 
a  distance  of  about  20  leagues,  all  with  flat- 
roof  houses  of  earth,  instead  of  stone,  after 
the  fashion  of  mud  walls.  There  are  other 
villages  besides  these  on  other  streams  which 
flow  into  this,  and  three  of  these  are,  for  In 
dians,  well  worth  seeing,  especially  one  that 
is  called  Chia,2  and  another  Uraba,3  and 
another  Cicuique.4  Uraba  and  Cicuique 


1  Acoma.  2  Sia. 

3  Identical  with  Taos — the  Braba  of  Castaneda  and 
the  Yuraba  of  the  Relaciou  del  Suceso. 

4Pecos.     In  Pacheco  y  Cardenas  this  is  spelled 
Tieuique. 

228 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

have  many  houses  two  stories  high.  All 
the  rest,  and  these  also,  have  corn  and  beans 
and  melons,  skins,  and  some  long  robes  of 
feathers  which  they  braid,  joining  the  feathers 
with  a  sort  of  thread ;  and  they  also  make 
them  of  a  sort  of  plain  weaving  with  which 
they  make  the  cloaks  with  which  they  pro 
tect  themselves.  They  all  have  hot  rooms 
underground,  which,  although  not  very  clean, 
are  very  warm.1  They  raise  and  have  a  very 
little  cotton,  of  which  they  make  the  cloaks 
which  I  have  spoken  of  above.  This  river 
comes  from  the  northwest  and  flows  about 
southeast,  which  shows  that  it  certainly 
flows  into  the  North  sea. 

Leaving  this  settlement a  and  the  said 
river,  we  passed  two  other  villages  whose 
names  I  do  not  know,3  and  in  four  days 
came  to  Cicuique,  which  I  have  already  men 
tioned.  The  direction  of  this  is  toward  the 
northeast.  From  there  we  came  to  another 
river,  which  the  Spaniards  named  after 
Cicuique,  in  three  days;  if  I  remember 
rightly,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  went  rather 
toward  the  northeast  to  reach  this  river 
where  we  crossed  it,  and  after  crossing  this, 
we  turned  more  to  the  left  hand,  which 
would  be  more  to  the  northeast,  and  began 

1  All  references  to  hot  rooms  or  estufas  are  of 
course  to  be  construed  to  mean  the  kivas  or  cere 
monial  chambers. 

2  Tiguex  is  here  doubtless  referred  to. 

3  One  of  the  villages  whose  names  Jaramillo  did 
not  know  was  probably  the  Ximena  (Galisteo)  of 
Castaneda. 

229 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

to  enter  the  plains  where  the  cows  are,  al 
though  we  did  not  find  them  for  some  four 
or  five  days,  after  which  we  began  to  come 
across  bulls,  of  which  there  are  great  num 
bers,  and  after  going  on  in  the  same  direc 
tion  and  meeting  the  bulls  for  two  or  three 
days,  we  began  to  find  ourselves  in  the  midst 
of  very  great  numbers  of  cows,  yearlings  and 
bulls  all  in  together.  We  found  Indians 
among  these  first  cows,  who  were,  on  this 
account,  called  Querechos  by  those  in  the 
flat-roof  houses.  They  do  not  live  in  houses, 
but  have  some  sets  of  poles  which  they  carry 
with  them  to  make  some  huts  at  the  places 
where  they  stop,  which  serve  them  for  houses. 
They  tie  these  poles  together  at  the  top  and 
stick  the  bottoms  into  the  ground,  covering 
them  with  some  cowskins  which  they  carry 
around,  and  which,  as  I  have  said,  serve 
them  for  houses.  From  what  was  learned 
of  these  Indians,  all  their  human  needs  are 
supplied  by  these  cows,  for  they  are  fed  and 
clothed  and  shod  from  these.  They  are  a 
people  who  wander  around  here  and  there, 
wherever  seems  to  them  best.  We  went  on 
for  eight  or  ten  days  in  the  same  direction, 
along  those  streams  which  are  among  the 
cows. 

The  Indian  who  guided  us  from  here  was 
the  one  that  had  given  us  the  news  about 
Quevira  and  Arache  (or  Arahei)  and  about 
its  being  a  very  rich  country  with  much 
gold  and  other  things,  and  he  and  the  other 
one  were  from  that  country  I  mentioned,  to 
230 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

which  we  were  going,  and  we  found  these 
two  Indians  in  the  flat-roof  villages.  It 
seems  that,  as  the  said  Indian  wanted  to  go 
to  his  own  country,  he  proceeded  to  tell  us 
what  we  found  was  not  true,  and  I  do  not 
know  whether  it  was  on  this  account  or  be 
cause  he  was  counseled  to  take  us  into  other 
regions  by  confusing  us  on  the  road,  although 
there  are  none  in  all  this  region  except  those 
of  the  cows.  We  understood,  however,  that 
he  was  leading  us  away  from  the  route  we 
ought  to  follow  and  that  he  wanted  to  lead 
us  on  to  those  plains  where  he  had  led  us, 
so  that  we  would  eat  up  the  food,  and  both 
ourselves  and  our  horses  would  become  weak 
from  the  lack  of  this,  because  if  we  should 
go  either  backward  or  forward  in  this  condi 
tion  we  could  not  make  any  resistance  to 
whatever  they  might  wish  to  do  to  us.  From 
the  time  when,  as  I  said,  we  entered  the 
plains  and  from  this  settlement  of  Quere- 
chos,  he  led  us  off  more  to  the  east,  until  we 
came  to  be  in  extreme  need  from  the  lack  of 
food,  and  as  the  other  Indian,  who  was  his 
companion  and  also  from  his  country,  saw 
that  he  was  not  taking  us  where  we  ought 
to  go,  since  we  had  always  followed  the 
guidance  of  the  Turk,  for  so  he  was  called, 
instead  of  his,  he  threw  himself  down  in  the 
way,  making  a  sign  that  although  we  cut  off 
his  head  he  ought  not  to  go  that  way,  nor 
was  that  our  direction. 

I   believe  we   had  been  traveling  twenty 
days  or  more  in  this  direction,  at  the  end  of 
231 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

which  we  found  another  settlement  of  In 
dians  of  the  same  sort  and  way  of  living  as 
those  behind,  among  whom  there  was  an  old 
blind  man  with  a  beard,  who  gave  us  to 
understand,  by  signs  which  he  made,  that 
he  had  seen  four  others  like  us  many  days 
before,  whom  he  had  seen  near  there  and 
rather  more  toward  New  Spain,  and  we  so 
understood  him,  and  presumed  that  it  was 
Dorantes  and  Cabeza  de  Vaca  and  those 
whom  I  have  mentioned. 

At  this  settlement  the  general,  seeing  our 
difficulties,  ordered  the  captains,  and  the 
persons  whose  advice  he  was  accustomed 
to  take,  to  assemble,  so  that  we  might  dis 
cuss  with  him  what  was  best  for  all.  It 
seemed  to  us  that  all  the  force  should  go 
back  to  the  region  we  had  come  from,  in 
search  of  food,  so  that  they  could  regain 
their  strength,  and  that  30  picked  horsemen 
should  go  in  search  of  what  the  Indian  had 
told  about ;  and  we  decided  to  do  this.  We 
all  went  forward  one  day  to  a  stream  which 
was  down  in  a  ravine  in  the  midst  of  good 
meadows,  to  agree  on  who  should  go  ahead 
and  how  the  rest  should  return.  Here  the 
Indian  Isopete,  as  we  had  called  the  com 
panion  of  the  said  Turk,  was  asked  to  tell  us 
the  truth,  and  to  lead  us  to  that  country 
which  we  had  come  in  search  of.  He  said 
he  would  do  it,  and  that  it  was  not  as  the 
Turk  had  said,  because  those  were  certainly 
fine  things  which  he  had  said  and  had  given 
us  to  understand  at  Tihuex,  about  gold  and 
232  ' 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

how  it  was  obtained,  and  the  buildings,  and 
the  style  of  them,  and  their  trade,  and  many 
other  things  told  for  the  sake  of  prolixity, 
which  had  led  us  to  go  in  search  of  them, 
with  the  advice  of  all  who  gave  it  and  of 
the  priests.  He  asked  us  to  leave  him  after 
ward  in  that  country,  because  it  was  his  na 
tive  country,  as  a  reward  for  guiding  us,  and 
also,  that  the  Turk  might  not  go  along  with 
him,  because  he  would  quarrel  and  try  to 
restrain  him  in  everything  that  he  wanted 
to  do  for  our  advantage;  and  the  general 
promised  him  this,  and  said  he  would  be 
with  one  of  the  thirty,  and  he  went  in  this 
way.  And  when  everything  was  ready  for 
us  to  set  out  and  for  the  others  to  remain, 
we  pursued  our  way,  the  direction  all  the 
time  after  this  being  toward  the  north,  for 
more  than  thirty  days'  march,  although  not 
long  marches,  not  having  to  go  without 
water  on  any  one  of  them,  and  among  cows 
all  the  time,  some  days  in  larger  numbers 
than  others,  according  to  the  water  which 
we  came  across,  so  that  on  Saint  Peter  and 
Paul's  day  we  reached  a  river  which  we 
found  to  be  there  below  Quibira.  • 

When  he  reached  the  said  river,  the  In 
dian  recognized  it  and  said  that  was  it,  and 
that  it  was  below  the  settlements.  We 
crossed  it  there  and  went  up  the  other  side 
on  the  north,  the  direction  turning  toward 
the  northeast,  and  after  marching  three  days 
we  found  some  Indians  who  were  going 
hunting,  killing  the  cows  to  take  the  meat 
283 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

to  their  village,  which  was  about  three  or 
four  days  still  farther  away  from  us.  Here 
where  we  found  the  Indians  and  they  saw 
us,  they  began  to  utter  yells  and  appeared 
to  fly,  and  some  even  had  their  wives  there 
with  them.  The  Indian  Isopete  began  to 
call  them  in  his  language,  and  so  they  came 
to  us  without  any  signs  of  fear.  When  we 
and  these  Indians  had  halted  here,  the  gen 
eral  made  an  example  of  the  Indian  Turk, 
whom  we  had  brought  along,  keeping  him 
all  the  time  out  of  sight  among  the  rear 
guard,  and  having  arrived  where  the  place 
was  prepared,  it  was  done  in  such  a  way 
that  the  other  Indian,  who  was  called  Iso 
pete,  should  not  see  it,  so  as  to  give  him  the 
satisfaction  he  had  asked.  Some  satisfac 
tion  was  experienced  here  on  seeing  the  good 
appearance  of  the  earth,  and  it  is  certainly 
such  among  the  cows,  and  from  there  on. 
The  general  wrote  a  letter  here  to  the  gov 
ernor  of  Harahey  and  Quibira,  having  under 
stood  that  he  was  a  Christian  from  the  lost 
army  of  Florida,  because  what  the  Indian 
had  said  of  their  manner  of  government  and 
their  general  character  had  made  us  believe 
this.  So  the  Indians  went  to  their  houses, 
which  were  at  the  distance  mentioned,  and 
we  also  proceeded  at  our  rate  of  marching 
until  we  reached  the  settlements,  which  we 
found  along  good  river  bottoms,  although 
without  much  water,  and  good  streams  which 
flow  into  another,  larger  than  the  one  I  have 
mentioned.  There  were,  if  I  recall  correctly, 
234 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

six  or  seven  settlements,  at  quite  a  distance 
from  one  another,  among  which  we  traveled 
for  four  or  five  clays,  since  it  was  understood 
to  be  uninhabited  between  one  stream  and 
the  other. 

We  reached  what  they  said  was  the  end 
of  Quibira,  to  which  they  took  us,  saying 
that  the  things  there  were  of  great  impor 
tance.1  Here  there  was  a  river,  with  more 
water  and  more  inhabitants  than  the  others. 
Being  asked  if  there  was  anything  beyond, 
they  said  that  there  was  nothing  more  of 
Quibira,  but  that  there  was  Harahey,  and 
that  it  was  the  same  sort  of  a  place,  with 
settlements  like  these,  and  of  about  the  same 
size.  The  general  sent  to  summon  the  lord 
of  those  parts  and  the  other  Indians  who 
they  said  resided  in  Harahey,  and  he  came 
with  about  200  men — all  naked — with 
bows,  and  some  sort  of  things  on  their  heads, 
and  their  privy  parts  slightly  covered.  He 
was  a  big  Indian,  with  a  large  body  and 
limbs,  and  well  proportioned.  After  he  had 
heard  the  opinion  of  one  and  another  about 
it,  the  general  asked  them  what  we  ought  to 
do,  reminding  us  of  how  the  army  had  been 
left  and  that  the  rest  of  us  were  there,  so 
that  it  seemed  to  all  of  us  that  as  it  was 
already  almost  the  opening  of  winter,  for,  if 
I  remember  rightly,  it  was  after  the  middle 
of  August,  and  because  there  was  little  to 

1  In  Buckingham  Smith's  copy  occurs  the  phrase, 
"que  decian  ellos  para  significarnoslo  Teucarea." 
This  is  not  in  Pacheco  y  Cardenas. 
235 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

winter  there  for,  aud  we  were  but  very  little 
prepared  for  it,  and  the  uncertainty  as  to 
the  success  of  the  army  that  had  been  left, 
and  because  the  winter  might  close  the  roads 
with  snow  and  rivers  which  we  could  not 
cross,  and  also  in  order  to  see  what  had  hap 
pened  to  the  rest  of  the  force  left  behind,  it 
seemed  to  us  all  that  his  grace  ought  to  go 
back  in  search  of  them,  and  when  lie  had 
found  out  for  certain  how  they  were,  to  win 
ter  there  and  return  to  that  country  at  the 
opening  of  spring,  to  conquer  and  cultivate  it. 

Since,  as  I  said,  this  was  the  last  point 
which  we  reached,  here  the  Turk  saw  that 
he  had  lied  to  us,  and  one  night  he  called 
on  all  these  people  to  attack  us  and  kill  us. 
We  learned  of  it,  and  put  him  under  guard 
and  strangled  him  that  night  so  that  he 
never  waked  up.  With  the  plan  mentioned, 
we  turned  back  it  may  have  been  two  or 
three  days,  where  we  provided  ourselves 
with  picked  fruit  and  dried  corn  for  our  re 
turn.  The  general  raised  a  cross  at  this 
place,  at  the  foot  of  which  he  made  some 
letters  with  a  chisel,  which  said  that  Fran 
cisco  Vazquez  de  Coronado,  general  of  that 
army,  had  arrived  here. 

This  country  presents  a  very  fine  appear 
ance,  than  which  I  have  not  seen  a  better  in 
all  our  Spain  nor  Italy  nor  a  part  of  France, 
nor,  indeed,  in  the  other  countries  where  I 
have  traveled  in  His  Majesty's  service,  for 
it  is  not  a  very  rough  country,  but  is  made 
up  of  hillocks  and  plains,  and  very  fine  ap- 
230 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

pearing  rivers  and  streams,  which  certainly 
satisfied  me  and  made  me  sure  that  it  will 
be  very  fruitful  in  all  sorts  of  products.  In 
deed,  there  is  profit  in  the  cattle  ready  to  the 
hand,  from  the  quantity  of  them,  which  is 
as  great  as  one  could  imagine.  We  found  a 
variety  of  Castilian  prunes  which  are  not  all 
red,  but  some  of  them  black  and  green ;  the 
tree  and  fruit  is  certainly  like  that  of  Cas 
tile,  with  a  very  excellent  flavor.  Among 
the  cows  we  found  flax,  which  springs  up 
from  the  earth  in  clumps  apart  from  one 
another,  which  are  noticeable,  as  the  cattle 
do  not  eat  it,  with  their  tops  and  blue 
flowers,  and  very  perfect  although  small, 
resembling  that  of  our  own  Spain  (or  and 
sumach  like  ours  in  Spain).  There  are 
grapes  along  some  streams,  of  a  fair  flavor, 
not  to  be  improved  upon. 

The  houses  which  these  Indians  have 
were  of  straw,  and  most  of  them  round,  and 
the  straw  reached  down  to  the  ground  like  a 
wall,  so  that  they  did  not  have  the  sym 
metry  or  the  style  of  these  here ;  they  have 
something  like  a  chapel  or  sentry  box  out 
side  and  around  these,  with  an  entry,  where 
the  Indians  appear  seated  or  reclining.  The 
Indian  Isopete  was  left  here  where  the  cross 
was  erected,  and  we  took  five  or  six  of  the 
Indians  from  these  villages  to  lead  and  guide 
us  to  the  flat-roof  houses.1  Thus  they 
brought  us  back  by  the  same  road  as  far  as 

The  pueblos  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
237 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

where  I  said  before  that  we  came  to  a  river 
called  Saint  Peter  and  Paul's,  and  here  we 
left  that  by  which  we  had  come,  and,  taking 
the  right  hand,  they  led  us  along  by  water 
ing  places  and  among  cows  and  by  a  good 
road,  although  there  are  none  either  one  way 
or  the  other  except  those  of  the  cows,  as  I 
have  said.  At  last  we  came  to  where  we 
recognized  the  country,  where  I  said  we 
found  the  first  settlement,  where  the  Turk 
led  us  astray  from  the  route  we  should  have 
followed.  Thus,  leaving  the  rest  aside,  we 
reached  Tiguex,  where  we  found  the  rest  of 
the  army,  and  here  the  general  fell  while 
running  his  horse,  by  which  he  received  a 
wound  on  his  head  which  gave  symptoms  of 
turning  out  badly,  and  he  conceived  the  idea 
of  returning,  which  ten  or  twelve  of  us  were 
unable  to  prevent  by  dissuading  him  from  it. 
When  this  return  had  been  ordered,  the 
Franciscan  friars  who  were  with  us — one  of 
them  a  regular  and  the  other  a  lay  brother — 
who  were  called,  the  regular  one  Friar  Juan 
de  Padilla  and  the  lay  one  Friar  Luis  de 
Escalona,  were  told  to  get  ready,  although 
they  had  permission  from  their  provincial 
so  that  they  could  remain.  Friar  Luis  wished 
to  remain  in  these  flat-roof  houses,  saying 
that  he  would  raise  crosses  for  those  vil 
lagers  with  a  chisel  and  adze  they  left  him, 
and  would  baptize  several  poor  creatures  who 
could  be  led,  on  the  point  of  death,  so  as  to 
send  them  to  heaven,  for  which  he  did  not 
desire  any  other  company  than  a  little  slave 
238 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

of  mine  who  was  called  Christopher,  to  be 
his  consolation,  and  who  he  said  would  learn 
the  language  there  quickly  so  as  to  help 
him ;  and  he  brought  up  so  many  things  in 
favor  of  this  that  he  could  not  be  denied, 
and  so  nothing  more  has  been  heard  from 
him.  The  knowledge  that  this  friar  would 
remain  there  was  the  reason  that  many  In 
dians  from  hereabouts  stayed  there,  and  also 
two  negroes,  one  of  them  mine,  who  was 
called  Sebastian,  and  the  other  one  of  Mel- 
chor  Perez,  the  son  of  the  licentiate  La  Torre. 
This  negro  was  married  and  had  his  wife 
and  children.  I  also  recall  that  several  In 
dians  remained  behind  in  the  Quivira  region, 
besides  a  Tarascan  belonging  to  my  com 
pany,  who  was  named  Andrew.  Friar  Juan 
de  Padilla  preferred  to  return  to  Quivira, 
and  persuaded  them  to  give  him  those  In 
dians  whom  I  said  we  had  brought  as  guides. 
They  gave  him  these,  and  he  also  took  a 
Portuguese  and  a  free  Spanish-speaking  In 
dian,  who  was  the  interpreter,  and  who 
passed  as  a  Franciscan  friar,  and  a  half-blood 
and  two  Indians  from  Capottan  (or  Capotean) 
or  thereabouts,  I  believe.  He  had  brought 
these  up  and  took  them  in  the  habits  of 
friars,  and  he  took  some  sheep  and  mules 
and  a  horse  and  ornaments  and  other  trifles. 
I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  for  the  sake 
of  these  or  for  what  reason,  but  it  seems 
that  they  killed  him,  and  those  who  did  it 
were  the  lay  servants,  or  these  same  Indians 
whom  he  took  back  from  Tiguex,  in  return 
239 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

for  the  good  deeds  which  he  had  done. 
When  he  was  dead,  the  Portuguese  whom  I 
mentioned  fled,  and  also  one  of  the  Indians 
that  I  said  he  took  in  the  habits  of  friars, 
or  both  of  them,  I  believe.  I  mention  this 
because  they  came  back  to  this  country  of 
New  Spain  by  another  way  and  a  shorter 
route  than  the  one  of  which  I  have  told,  and 
they  came  out  in  the  valley  of  Panico.1  I 
have  given  Gonzalo  Solis  de  Meras  and  Isi- 
doro  de  Solis  an  account  of  this,  because  it 
seemed  to  me  important,  according  to  what 
I  say  I  have  understood,  that  His  Majesty 
ordered  Your  Lordship  to  find  or  discover  a 
way  so  as  to  unite  that  land  to  this.  It  is 
perhaps  also  very  likely  that  this  Indian  Se 
bastian,  during  the  time  he  was  in  Quivira, 
learned  about  its  territory  and  the  country 
round  about  it,  and  also  of  the  sea,  and  the 
road  by  which  he  came,  and  what  there  is 
to  it,  and  how  many  days'  journey  before 
arriving  there.  So  that  I  am  sure  that  if 
Your  Lordship  acquires  this  Quivira  on  this 
account,  I  am  certain  that  he  can  confidently 
bring  many  people  from  Spain  to  settle  it 
according  to  the  appearance  and  the  charac 
ter  of  the  land. 

1  This  is  the  spelling  of  Panuco  in  both  texts. 


240 


TRANSLATION   OF   THE  REPOET  OF 
HERNANDO   DE   ALVARADO 

ACCOUNT  OF  WHAT  HERNANDO  DE  ALVA 
RADO  AND  FRIAR  JUAN  DE  PAD  ILL  A 
DISCOVERED  GOING  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE 
SOUTH  SEA.1 

WE  set  out  from  Granada  on  Sunday,  the 
clay  of  the  beheading  of  Saint  John  the  Bap 
tist,  the  29th  of  August,  in  the  year  1540, 
on  the  way  to  Coco.2  After  we  had  gone  2 
leagues,  we  came  to  an  ancient  building 
like  a  fortress,  and  a  league  beyond  this  we 
found  another,  and  yet  another  a  little  farther 
on,  and  beyond  these  we  found  an  ancient 
city,  very  large,  entirely  destroyed,  although 
a  large  part  of  the  wall  was  standing,  which 
was  six  times  as  tall  as  a  man,  the  wall  well 
made  of  good  worked  stone,  with  gates  and 
gutters  like  a  city  in  Castile.  Half  a  league 
or  more  beyond  this,  we  found  another  rained 
city,  the  walls  of  which  must  have  been  very 
fine,  built  of  very  large  granite  blocks,  as 
high  as  a  man  and  from  there  up  of  very 

1  The  text  of  this  report  is  printed  in  Buckingham 
Smith's  Florida,  p.  65,  from  the  Munoz  copy,  and 
in  Pacheco  y  Cardenas,  Documentos  de  Indias,  vol. 
iii,  p.  511. 

2  Acuco  or  Acoma.     The  route  taken  by  Alvarado 
was  not  the  same  as  that  followed  by  Coronado,  who 
went  by  way  of  Matsaki.     Alvarado's  course  was 
the  old  Acoma  trail   which  led  directly  eastward 
from  Hawikuh  or  Ojo  Caliente. 

241 


THE  JOURNEY   OF   COROXADO 

good  quarried  stone.  Here  two  roads  sepa 
rate,  one  to  Chia  and  the  other  to  Coco ;  we 
took  this  latter,  and  reached  that  place, 
which  is  one  of  the  strongest  places  that  we 
have  seen,  because  the  city  is  on  a  very  high 
rock,  with  such  a  rough  ascent  that  we  re 
pented  having  gone  up  to  the  place.  The 
houses  have  three  or  four  stories ;  the  people 
are  the  same  sort  as  those  of  the  province  of 
Cibola;  they  have  plenty  of  food,  of  corn 
and  beans  and  fowls  like  those  of  New 
Spain.  From  here  we  went  to  a  very  good 
lake  or  marsh,  where  there  are  trees  like 
those  of  Castile,  and  from  there  we  went  to 
a  river,  which  we  named  Our  Lady  (Nuestra 
Senora),  because  we  reached  it  the  evening 
before  her  day  in  the  month  of  September.1 
We  sent  the  cross  by  a  guide  to  the  villages 
in  advance,  and  the  next  day  people  came 
from  twelve  villages,  the  chief  men  and  the 
people  in  order,  those  of  one  village  behind 
those  of  another,  and  they  approached  the 
tent  to  the  sound  of  a  pipe,  and  with  an  old 
man  for  spokesman.  In  this  fashion  they 
came  into  the  tent  and  gave  me  the  food 
and  clothes  and  skins  they  had  brought,  and 
I  gave  them  some  trinkets,  and  with  this 
they  went  off. 

This  river  of  Our  Lady  flows  through  a 
very  wide  open  plain  sowed  with  corn 
plants;  there  are  several  groves,  and  there 

1  Day  of  the  nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  Sep 
tember  8.  This  was  the  Tiguex  or  present  Rio 
Grande. 

242 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

are  twelve  villages.  The  houses  are  of 
earth,  two  stories  high ;  the  people  have  a 
good  appearance,  more  like  laborers  than  a 
warlike  race ;  they  have  a  large  food  supply 
of  corn,  beans,  melons,  and  fowl  in  great 
plenty ;  they  clothe  themselves  with  cotton 
and  the  skins  of  cows  and  dresses  of  the 
feathers  of  the  fowls ;  they  wear  their  hair 
short.  Those  who  have  the  most  authority 
among  them  are  the  old  men ;  we  regarded 
them  as  witches,  because  they  say  that  they 
go  up  into  the  sky  and  other  things  of  the 
same  sort.  In  this  province  there  are  seven 
other  villages,  depopulated  and  destroyed  by 
those  Indians  who  paint  their  eyes,  of  whom 
the  guides  will  tell  Your  Grace;  they  say 
that  these  live  in  the  same  region  as  the 
cows,  and  that  they  have  com  and  houses  of 
straw. 

Here  the  people  from  the  outlying  prov 
inces  came  to  make  peace  with  me,  and  as 
Your  Grace  may  see  in  this  memorandum, 
there  are  80  villages  there  of  the  same  sort 
as  I  have  described,  and  among  them  one 
which  is  located  on  some  streams;  it  is 
divided  into  twenty  divisions,  which  is 
something  remarkable ;  the  houses  have  three 
stories  of  mud  walls  and  three  others  made 
of  small  wooden  boards,  and  on  the  outside 
of  the  three  stories  with  the  mud  wall  they 
have  three  balconies;  it  seemed  to  us  that 
there  were  nearly  15,000  persons  in  this  vil 
lage.  The  country  is  very  cold;  they  do 
not  raise  fowls  nor  cotton ;  they  worship  the 
243 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

sun  and  water.     We  found  mounds  of  dirt 
outside  of  the  place,  where  they  are  buried. 

In  the  places  where  crosses  were  raised, 
we  saw  them  worship  these.  They  made 
offerings  to  these  of  their  powder  and  feathers, 
and  some  left  the  blankets  they  had  on. 
They  showed  so  much  zeal  that  some  climbed 
up  on  the  others  to  grasp  the  arms  of  the 
cross,  to  place  feathers  and  flowers  there; 
and  others  bringing  ladders,  while  some  held 
them,  went  up  to  tie  strings,  so  as  to  fasten 
the  flowers  and  the  feathers. 


244 


TESTIMONY  CONCEKNING  THOSE 
WHO  WENT  ON  THE  EXPEDITION 
WITH  FKANCISCO  VAZQUEZ  CO- 
IIONADO l 

AT  Compos tela,  on  February  21,  1540, 
Coronado  presented  a  petition  to  the  viceroy 
Mendoza,  declaring  that  he  had  observed  that 
certain  persons  who  were  not  well  disposed 
toward  the  expedition  which  was  about  to 
start  for  the  newly  discovered  country  had 
said  that  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
City  of  Mexico  and  of  the  other  cities  and 
towns  of  New  Spain,  and  also  of  Compostela 
and  other  places  in  this  province  of  New 
Galicia  were  going  on  the  expedition  at  his 
request  or  because  of  inducements  offered  by 
him,  as  a  result  of  which  the  City  of  Mexico 
and  New  Spain  were  left  deserted,  or  almost 
so.  Therefore,  he  asked  the  viceroy  to  order 
that  information  be  obtained,  in  order  that 
the  truth  might  be  known  about  the  citizens 
of  New  Spain  and  of  this  province  who  were 
going  to  accompany  him.  He  declared  that 
there  were  very  few  of  these,  and  that  they 
were  not  going  on  account  of  any  attraction 

1  Translated  freely  and  abridged  from  the  deposi 
tions  as  printed  in  Paclieco  y  Cardenas,  Documentos 
de  Indias,  vol.  xiv,  p.  373.  See  note  on  page  377. 
The  statements  of  the  preceding  witnesses  are  usu 
ally  repeated,  in  effect,  in  the  testimony  of  those 
who  follow. 

245 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONADO 

or  inducement  offered  by  him,  but  of  their 
own  free  will,  and  as  there  were  few  of 
them,  there  would  not  be  any  lack  of  people 
in  New  Spain.  And  as  Gonzalo  de  Salazar, 
the  factor  or  royal  agent,  and  Pero  Alinidez 
Cherino,  the  veedor  or  royal  inspector  of  His 
Majesty  for  New  Spain,  and  other  citizens 
of  Mexico  who  knew  all  the  facts  and  had 
the  necessary  information,  were  present 
there,  Coronado  asked  His  Grace  to  provide 
and  order  that  which  would  best  serve  His 
Majesty's  interests  and  the  welfare  and  se 
curity  of  New  Spain. 

The  viceroy  instructed  the  licenciate  Mal- 
donado,  oidor  of  the  royal  audiencia,1  to 
procure  this  information.  To  facilitate  the 
hearing  he  provided  that  the  said  factor  and 
veedor  and  the  regidores,  and  others  who 
were  there,  should  attend  the  review  of  the 
army,  which  was  to  be  held  on  the  follow 
ing  day.  Nine  of  the  desired  witnesses  were 
also  commanded  by  Maldonado  to  attend 
the  review  and  observe  those  whom  they 
knew  in  the  army. 

On  February  26 2  the  licentiate  Maldo 
nado  took  the  oaths  of  the  witnesses  in 
proper  form,  and  they  testified  to  the  follow 
ing  effect : 

Heruand  Perez  de  Bocanegra,  a  citizen  of 
Mexico,  stated  that  he  had  been  present  on 
the  preceding  Sunday,  at  the  review  of  the 


1  Judge  of  the  highest  court  of  the  province. 

2  Thursday. 

246 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

force  which  the  viceroy  was  sending  for  the 
pacification  of  the  country  recently  discov 
ered  by  the  father  provincial,  Fray  Marcos 
de  Niza,  and  that  he  had  taken  note  of  the 
force  as  the  men  passed  before  him;  and  at 
his  request  he  had  also  been  allowed  to  see 
the  list  of  names  of  those  who  were  enrolled 
in  the  army ;  and  he  declared  that  in  all  the 
said  force  he  did  not  recognize  any  other 
citizens  of  Mexico  who  were  going  except 
Domingo  Martin,  a  married  man,  whom  he 
had  sometimes  seen  living  in  Mexico,  and 
provided  him  with  messengers;  and  one 
Alonso  Sanchez,  who  was  going  with  his 
wife  and  a  son,  and  who  was  formerly  a 
shoemaker;  and  a  young  man,  son  of  the 
bachillcr  Aloiiso  Perez,  who  had  come  only 
a  few  days  before  from  Salamanca,  and  who 
had  been  sent  to  the  war  by  his  father  on 
account  of  his  restlessness ;  and  two  or  three 
other  workmen  or  tradespeople  whom  he  had 
seen  at  work  in  Mexico,  although  he  did  not 
know  whether  they  were  citizens  there ;  and 
on  his  oath  lie  did  not  see  in  the  whole 
army  anyone  else  who  was  a  citizen  of  Mex 
ico,  although  for  about  fourteen  years  he  had 
been  a  citizen  and  inhabitant  of  that  city, 
unless  it  was  the  captain-general,  Francisco 
Vazquez  de  Coronado,  and  Lopez  de  Sa- 
maniego  the  army-master;  and,  moreover, 
he  declared  that  he  felt  certain  that  those 
above  mentioned  were  going  of  their  own 
free  will,  like  all  the  rest. 

Antonio  Serrano  de  Cardona,  one  of  the 
247 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

magistrates  of  Mexico,  who  was  present 
from  beginning  to  end  of  the  review  of  the 
preceding  Sunday,  testified  in  similar  form. 
He  said  that  Alonso  Sanchez  had  formerly 
been  a  citizen  of  Mexico,  but  that  for  a  long 
time  his  house  had  been  empty  and  he  had 
traveled  as  a  trader,  and  that  he  was  going 
in  search  of  something  to  live  on;  and  one 
Domingo  Martin  was  also  going,  who 
formerly  lived  in  Mexico,  and  whose  resi 
dence  he  had  not  known  likewise  for  a  long 
time,  nor  did  he  think  that  he  had  one,  be 
cause  he  had  not  seen  him  living  in  Mexico. 
He  did  not  think  it  would  have  been  possi 
ble  for  any  citizens  of  Mexico  to  have  been 
there  whom  he  did  not  know,  because  he 
had  lived  in  Mexico  during  the  twenty  years 
since  he  came  to  Mexico,  and  ever  since  the 
city  was  established  by  Christians,  and  be 
sides,  he  had  been  a  magistrate  for  fifteen 
years.  And  besides,  all  those  whom  he  did 
see  who  were  going,  were  the  most  contented 
of  any  men  he  had  ever  seen  in  this  country 
starting  off  for  conquests.  After  the  force 
left  the  City  of  Mexico,  he  had  been  there, 
and  had  noticed  that  it  was  full  of  people 
and  that  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  scarc 
ity  on  account  of  those  who  had  started  on 
this  expedition. 

Gonzalo  de  Salazar,  His  Majesty's  factor 
for  New  Spain,  and  also  a  magistrate  of  the 
City  of  Mexico,  declared  that  the  only  per 
son  on  the  expedition  who  possessed  a 
repartimiento  or  estate  in  New  Spain  was 
248 


THE  JOURNEY   OF  CORONA DO 

the  captain-general,  Vazquez  de  Coronado, 
and  that  he  had  noticed  one  other  citizen 
who  did  not  have  a  repartimiento.  He  had 
not  seen  any  other  citizen  of  Mexico,  nor  of 
New  Spain,  although  one  of  the  greatest 
benefits  that  could  have  been  done  New 
Spain  would  have  been  to  draw  off  the  young 
and  vicious  people  who  were  in  that  city 
and  all  over  New  Spain. 

Pedro  Almidez  Cherino,  His  Majesty's 
veedor  in  New  Spain,  had,  among  other 
things,  noted  the  horses  and  arms  of  those 
who  were  going,  during  the  review.  He 
had  noticed  Coronado  and  Samaniego,  and 
Alonso  Sanchez  and  his  wife,  whom  he  did 
not  know  to  be  a  citizen,  and  Domingo 
Martin,  who  was  away  from  Mexico  during 
most  of  the  year.  All  the  rest  of  the  force 
were  people  without  settled  residences,  who 
had  recently  come  to  the  country  in  search 
of  a  living.  It  seemed  to  him  that  it  was  a 
very  fortunate  thing  for  Mexico  that  the 
people  who  were  going  were  about  to  do  so 
because  they  had  been  injuring  the  citizens 
there.  They  had  been  for  the  most  part  vi 
cious  young  gentlemen,  who  did  not  have 
anything  to  do  in  the  city  nor  in  the  coun 
try.  They  were  all  going  of  their  own  free 
will,  and  were  very  ready  to  help  pacify 
the  new  country,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that 
if  the  said  country  had  not  been  discovered, 
almost  all  of  these  people  would  have  gone 
back  to  Castile,  or  would  have  gone  to  Peru 
or  other  places  in  search  of  a  living. 
249 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

Servan  Bejarano,  who  had  been  in  business 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Mexico  ever  since 
he  came  to  that  city,  added  the  information 
that  he  knew  Alonso  Sanchez  to  be  a  pro 
vision  dealer,  buying  at  wholesale  and  sell 
ing  at  retail,  and  that  he  was  in  very  great 
need,  having  nothing  on -which  to  live,  and 
that  he  was  going  to  that  country 'in  search 
of  a  living.  He  was  also  very  sure  that  it 
was  a  great  advantage  to  Mexico  and  to  its 
citizens  to  have  many  of  the  unmarried  men 
go  away,  because  they  had  no  occupation 
there  and  were  bad  characters,  and  were  for 
the  most  part  gentlemen  and  persons  who 
did  not  hold  any  property,  nor  any  reparti- 
mientos  of  Indians,  without  any  income,  and 
lazy,  and  who  would  have  been  obliged  to 
go  to  Peru  or  some  other  region. 

Cristobal  de  Onate  had  been  in  the  coun 
try  about  sixteen  years,  a  trifle  more  or  less, 
and  was  now  His  Majesty's  veedor  for  New 
Galicia.  He  knew  the  citizens  of  Mexico, 
and  also  declared  that  not  a  citizen  of  Com- 
postela  was  going  on  the  expedition.  Two 
citizens  of  Guadalajara  were  going,  one  of 
whom  was  married  to  an  Indian,  and  the 
other  was  single.  As  for  the  many  young 
gentlemen  and  the  others  who  were  going, 
who  lived  in  Mexico  and  in  other  parts  of 
New  Spain,  it  seemed  to  him  that  their  de 
parture  was  a  benefit  rather  than  a  disad 
vantage,  because  they  were  leading  vicious 
lives  and  had  nothing  with  which  to  support 
themselves. 

250 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  CORONADO 

When  these  statements  and  depositions 
had  all  been  duly  received,  signed,  and  at 
tested,  and  had  been  shown  to  his  most 
illustrious  lordship,  the  viceroy,  he  ordered 
an  authorized  copy  to  be  taken,  which  was 
made  by  Joan  de  Leon,  clerk  of  Their  Maj 
esties'  court  and  of  the  royal  audiencia  of 
New  Spain,  the  27th  of  February,  1540,  wit 
nessed  by  the  secretary,  Antonio  de  Alma- 
guer,  and  sent  to  His  Majesty,  to  be  laid 
before  the  lords  of  the  council,  that  they 
might  provide  and  order  that  which  should 
be  most  serviceable  to  their  interests. 


251 


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